If you’re wandering around downtown, you may spot a new and vibrant addition to the art display in Victoria’s historic Chinatown.
Illustrator and mural artist Carolyn Wong unveiled her work at 1713 Government Street, portraying the significance of the cultural heritage of Chinatown.
This includes the history and traditions of the Tam Kung Temple, the oldest Chinese temple in Canada, which is located within the building the mural is displayed on!
For those that aren’t aware, the Temple location is 150 years old, having been founded by the Hakka People in 1876. However, the building had to be rebuilt after a fire burnt down the original Temple in 1911—the new building opened in 1912, and is now home to Wong’s art.
To add a fun and modern twist on this artwork, Mark Illing included an augmented reality feature that brings the mural to life with animations of objects from inside the temple.
To view this interactive marvel, you can download the Artivive app on your phone, hold the camera function overtop of the image, and watch in awe as the careful brushstrokes shift and move.
The mural project was a part of Victoria’s OUR DWTN revitalization plan—which is set on the improvement and beautification of our downtown core.
This project also received additional funding from the Downtown Victoria Business Association and Sunbelt Rentals, helping make the realization and completion possible.
