You've been to your local bar to see live music.

Scratch that.

You've been to many, many bars to see live music -- some of which you remember, and others, not so much.

You've also probably been to a local tavern to see a novel stand up act or an evening of raucous spoken word.

But have you ever been to a bar where the performing act is the bar itself?

Aye, that's the rub.

If you brave the crowds over the next week and poke around Granville Island, you'll find The Candahar holding its own under the roof of the Playwrights Theatre Centre, located on the corner of Cartwright and Old Bridge Streets.

Part interactive sculpture, part poet's café, the project is the work of Irish artist Theo Sims. Its an amalgamated recreation of three different bars in Belfast, Ireland that Sims spent time at while a student at the University of Ulster.

It's part of the Cultural Olympiad, but it feels like an island of social commentary for local artists and tourists alike to congregate upon and share innovative and sometimes controversial ideas. There is also quite a lineup of performances there.

The Tyee visited The Candahar while its creators were recovering from Friday night's excesses and getting ready for a Saturday night record release.