In the context of her exhibition Gander Islands, artist Myriam Yates will present her work in the company of architect Dustin Valen, whose research explores how architecture and design have been used to communicate different notions of modernity in Newfoundland throughout the twentieth century. Expanding upon themes inherent to Gander Islands — public space, isolation, utopian design — the discussion will investigate how modern architecture has long served as a political act in its own right.