Look up, way up when you head down Kingsway Avenue at Broadway this summer: grunt gallery has the go-ahead to curate the content on a new urban media screen that's going up on the second floor of The Independent building for the next five years.

The noncommercial screen--aimed at reflecting the surrounding community via a wide range of video, photos, and digital artworks--is being constructed now and is expected to launch in July. Its size will be 396 by 670 centimetres (13’x 22’), adorning the mixed-use residential and commercial building once better-known as the Rize.

Meanwhile, the local gallery reports it's actively pushing to develop interactive capability, a growing component on such screens around the world. That means it aims to engage viewers directly in creating live content beyond curated work. Creative BC's Interactive Fund has provided money for features including an external camera, streaming audio, and SMS capabilities.

In an effort to further engage the public, this spring the grunt gallery and EastVan Digital Stories will team up to work with Mount Pleasant residents who want to create short videos for the urban screen. To sign up for a workshop, send an email to Lorna Boschman at lorna@digitalstories.ca. Up to four people can register per weekly workshop. In the email, please include your name, email address, phone/text number, and whether you live in Mount Pleasant. The workshops take place from noon to 4 p.m. on April 21, May 6, May 13, May 20, and June 10 at the gallery (116-350 East 2nd Avenue).

Grunt’s announcement stated the opening program, PLACE , will use material from a number of community archives as well as work from and about the neighborhood of Mount Pleasant and surrounding areas.