Five reasons to check out this year’s Indian Summer Festival

Jessica Jackley, co-founder of the revolutionary micro-lending site Kiva.

If you’re a fan of Wes Anderson movies, are interested in changing the world through entrepreneurship or ever wondered about the connection between genes and jazz, this year’s Indian Summer Festival has something for you.

An annual event, the festival is now in its fifth year, with programming from July 9-19. With events that range from free public art to a concert by a cell biologist and his son, the fifth annual edition offers a plethora of interesting and possibly enlightening guests. Here are some highlights.

In the Driver’s Seat: Stories From the Cab – Taxi drivers see a larger cross section of humanity than most. Naturally, some cab drivers are inspired enough by their encounters to write about them. For In the Drivers’ Seat, Indian Summer brings together a group of writers who all once drove (or still drive) taxis. Panelists, including Helen Potrebenko, Larry Claypool and Pav Nagra, will discuss “the taxi cab as a place where solitude meets socialization, and through which each of the speakers navigates, understands and grapples with the city,” according to indiansummerfest.ca. (July 10, SFU’S Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 West Hastings Street. Tickets: $15 at ticketstonight.com)

Clay Water Brick: Small Entrepreneurs with Big Dreams – Jessica Jackley, co-founder of the micro-lending site Kiva, shares her insights on business lessons that can be learned from goat herders, farmers, and others in the developing world. In her just published book, Clay Water Brick, Jackley shares her own story of founding Kiva, and the stories and lessons that she has learned along the way. (July 16, SFU’S Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 West Hastings Street. Tickets: $15 at ticketstonight.com)

The Wrath of God: Religion Violence in the World Today – On TV, Reza Aslan has gone head-to-head with various Fox News pundits, as well as Bill Maher, taking them to task for their views on Islam. After a sold-out event at last year’s Indian Summer Festival, the writer and religious scholar returns to Vancouver to discuss a range of topics from identity to ISIS. (July 16, SFU’S Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 West Hastings Street. Tickets: $15 at ticketstonight.com)

The Merchant of Images – Aradhana Seth, art director for the Wes Anderson movie The Darjeeling Limited, brings a travelling public art project to the festival. Pushing a mobile photo booth, much like those used by Indian street vendors, Seth will travel through the city as a wandering merchant of images. People are invited to take a seat in the booth to be photographed against her stunning backdrop. The Merchant of Images is inspired by her work on The Darjeeling Limited. (Free. For dates and locations, go here.)

An image by Aradhana Seth. The art director will be pushing a mobile photo booth in various locations in the city.

Genes and Jazz – In this concert, a Nobel prize-winning geneticist combines forces with a sought-after New York jazz quintets. Dr. Harold Varmus won the Nobel Prize in 1989 for his work on the proto-oncogene, which enhanced our understanding of cancer. His son hasn’t exactly followed in dad’s scientific footsteps – he’s a trumpeter with his own ensemble, the Jacob Varmus Quintet. In this concert/talk, the two explore the ways that genes and notes affect complex organisms and compelling music, comparing cell biology to the development of musical compositions. (July 17 at Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton St. Tickets: $25-60 at ticketstonight.com)

The 2015 Indian Summer Festival is produced by the Indian Summer Arts Society and presented with Simon Fraser University. For more info, visit indiansummerfest.ca.

Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2015/07/09/indian-summer-festival-2015/