Co-curated by Emma Metcalfe Hurst and Donald Shipton, Collecting the Collector & Processing the Process is a student-curated exhibition that explores avant-garde Canadian poet bp Nichol’s practice as both a collector and creator.

On the third floor of SFU’s W.A.C. Bennett Library, materials from Nichol’s various collections are on display. This includes a selection of his robots, a menagerie of “H”‘s, selections from his Dick Tracy comics collection, alongside his other playful projects found in the archives.

On display on the seventh floor, at the entrance to SFU’s Rare Books and Special Collections, is an exhibition that exhibits Nichol’s creative process through the development of Book 5 of The Martyrology. From conception to draft, to proof, to publication, the various archival documents on display track the production of this vital text.

Collectively, this exhibition celebrates the great range of materials found in the bp Nichol fonds with particular attention to the sense of play and wonder in Nichol’s various practices.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Learn more at our online exhibit page.

Supported by Simon Fraser University Library Special Collections and Rare Books.