Vancouver Pilgrimage – The Beginning.  Vancouver Public Library.

Address: 350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 6B1

There was only one place where my visit to filming locations could start – where Motherland itself started, at Vancouver Public Library, the site of the blue balloon attack at The Mall.  They also filmed there in 2.02 where Scylla walked through the memorial vigil there and Anacostia made her passionate speech. 

Let’s start with a few screengrabs. 

Eliot at ‘The Mall’ during filming of the pilot episode. 

The following are from episode 1.01 Say the Words.

The following are from 2.02 Abomination.

This is what it looks like in real life.

As you approach the building, you can see that it has unique architecture.  The curved building is very striking. This is the building seen from the W Georgia Stret end. 

Inside, one side (right in this picture) is the public library.  This is shown as Tracey’s in 1.01.  To the left are a small parade of shops and offices.  The light fittings are very distinctive.  The red, white and black awnings from 1.01 are orange in real life.  Above, you can see the high rise balconies that people jumped from. 

During Scylla’s walk through the mall in 2.02, she seems to walk through in both directions. 

In 1.01 we saw everyone in the mall climbing up these stairs and then jumping off from the balconies.  In reality, the door is closed and a chain is across the stairs, along with a notice saying that to use the stairs you must be accompanied by a security guard.  Yes, I did find a security guard and asked.  He said no.  Wanting to take photographs clearly wasn’t a good enough reason.    But these, and ones higher up, are some of the steps that we see in the pilot episode.

The Mall photos need to have a blue balloon in there.  No blue balloon, no story.

One thing I did notice is that if anyone actually did jump out of the upper windows, as we saw them do in 1.01, then they would just land on the balconies below and nobody would have died.    Very good camerawork, showing just the parts they want us to see, but not enough to see how it all fits together. 

I actually found visiting this location to be very moving.  I don’t know whether that says more about me or about the place itself.  The two occasions it is used on screen are very emoptionally powerful and it does hold that power, for me at least. 

I started my visits here and I ended the trip by returning here.  It seemed right.