“They are iconic. It would keep the spirit of ’86 alive,” said David Duprey. “The vintage cars carry a lot of meaning and memories for British Columbians.”
“Imagine a SkyTrain car with a pop up studio or designer doing something in it? That would be so fun,” said Duprey.
While some may become permanent fixtures, others could be mobile, setting up temporarily in areas waiting for development.
“They are iconic. It would keep the spirit of ’86 alive,” said Duprey. “The vintage cars carry a lot of meaning and memories for British Columbians.
“I remember Expo 86, and taking the SkyTrain for the first time — it was majestic, it was cool. Repurposing them into something useful would be so much fun,” said Duprey.
Brocklebank, whose company Apartment Sage likes to “shine up” properties slated for demolition, and turn them into rentals thought maybe housing was the way to go. Could they be transformed into Airstream trailers? Could they be stacked?
“They’ve got great windows, heating, lighting, they’re waterproof,” said Brocklebank, who brings expertise in remodelling and creating temporary safe housing in underused properties.
Duprey, who has already created over 110,000 square feet of studio space in the city for artists, hit upon the idea of artist studios.
“We are lacking for spaces for artists. The market in Vancouver has made it tough to have affordable spaces. This is a great solution,” said Duprey.
“We want to retain some of the original features, like the seating and the design elements people know and love, and add functional work spaces” said Duprey.
Duprey and Brocklestone foresees the SkyTrain mobile studios finding homes throughout the province, especially in underserved areas.
Duprey, who grew up in Vancouver, honed his interest in offbeat art spaces and startups while living and working in San Francisco.
“This is the kind of thing artists do all over the world,” said Duprey. “When I came back to Vancouver, I found a real lack of imagination in the city.”
That lack of imagination was reflected in restrictive municipal bylaws, especially when it came to new ideas. If something didn’t already exist, said Duprey, he realized he just had to create it and show that it could work.
And that’s exactly what he plans to do with the SkyTrain cars.