Giant mosaic mural raising funds for mental health to go up in downtown Vancouver

Feb 1 2021, 8:00 pm

A new giant AR-activated photo-mosaic will be going up in downtown Vancouver, and it’s all for a good cause.

Pixel Moments is a donation-powered public art piece that has been created by St. Paul’s Foundation Future Leaders committee volunteers to raise awareness and funds for mental health resources across BC. The committee is led by Leon Ng, Zeeshan Hayat, and Crystal Hung.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Pixel Moments (@pixeldonate)

Pixel Moments is looking for 10,000 micro-donors to submit a photo, each of which will be turned into a single pixel, and the call for photo submissions is now open.

The pixels will be used to form the final mosaic, which will be an illustration to be created by local artist Andrea Wan. Andrea was selected through curatorial support by Booooooom, a Vancouver-based arts and culture platform. Another engaging element to the experience will be the augmented reality (AR) 60 by 20-foot mural. When scanned with a smartphone, components of the art piece will be animated, bringing another engaging element to the experience.

“We know that young British Columbians are redefining how they get involved with causes and charities that are close to their hearts,” said Matt Ilich, a member of the St. Paul’s Future Leaders Committee, in a statement.

“Our goal is to inspire and engage with as many people as possible to show how small actions and donations as little as $5 are within their reach, and that together we can do our part.”

The mural will be installed at Granville and West Georgia Streets for viewing and reflection throughout spring 2021.

Pixels are available for purchase by donation now until March 21, 2021. The funds raised will go directly to mental health resources at St. Paul’s Hospital.

How it works:

  • Purchase a pixel by making a donation on pixelmoments.org. Donations start at $5.  
  • Upload a meaningful photo that speaks to your mental wellness journey from your phone or desktop and include a short caption.
  • Through the magic of technology, your photo becomes a pixel that will be used in the final photo-mosaic mural.
  • View the final art piece at Granville and West Georgia when it is unveiled in April 2021. Scan the QR codes that will be placed at key socially distant spots at the viewing location. Using AR, see the art piece come to life.
Aurore LaborieAurore Laborie

+ Public Art
+ Urbanized
+ DH Community Partnership
ADVERTISEMENT