Présences du littéraire dans l’espace public canadien - Contest

Lingua Aqua

Marie-Claude Langevin — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:51:00 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Cassidy, Melanie; Filimowicz, Michael; Marks, Brady; Pasquier, Philippe

Artwork creator(s):

Cassidy, Melanie

Filimowicz, Michael

Marks, Brady

Pasquier, Philippe

Text author(s):

Quignard, Pascal; Hesse, Hermann; Miller, Casey; Waldo Emerson, Ralph; Sapir, Edward

Text author(s):

Quignard, Pascal

Hesse, Hermann

Miller, Casey

Waldo Emerson, Ralph

Sapir, Edward

Installation year:

2009

Artwork description

Source: Surrey (2009). LinguaAqua. (http://www.surrey.ca/files/40-LinguaAqua2.pdf)

Description:

The structure is a self-enclosed fountain, with rain curtains and a reflective pool that contains a video monitor. The video shows a variety of community members speaking their native languages and employs a range of visual treatments

A mirror in the underside of the roof reflects the pool, the video images and viewers. Glass panels overhanging the roof are engraved with symbols drawn from a number of languages spoken in Surrey. Four support columns each house audio speakers that play a variety of sounds that complement or contrast with the content of the video. The audio component is transmitted through holes in the columns. These perforated designs form Braille texts related to the role of language across various cultures.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

“You live a new life for every new language
you speak. If we spoke a different language,
we would perceive a somewhat different
world. If you know only one language, you
live only once.”
-Compilation of Czech proverbs (anonymous)

2.
“Language is an anonymous, collective and
unconscious art; the result of the creativity of
thousands of generations.”
-Edward Sapir

“Language is a city to the building of which
every human being brought a stone.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

3.
“Our native language is like a second skin,
so much a part of us we resist the idea that
it is constantly changing, constantly being
renewed.”
-Casey Miller

“Everything becomes a little different as soon
as it is spoken out loud.”
-Hermann Hesse

4.
“Language is for the empty mouth what
dreams are for closed eyes.”
-Pascal Quignard (translated from French by Philippe
Pasquier)

“He who loses his language loses his world.”
-Gaelic proverb

“A country without a language is a country
without a soul.”
-Gaelic – Irish proverb

Text theme:

Diversity and similarity of language across cultures

Artwork theme:

Diversity and similarity of language across cultures

The similarities and differences that link us and distinguish us between different cultures.

Dimensions

Other information

Artist's biography:

Michael Filimowicz

Author's biography:

Philippe Pasquier

Document(s):

LinguaAqua

Students’ multimedia art destined for Surrey parks

Surrey Public and Community Art diversity, language and place making

Terra Incognita

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:12:27 +0000

Artwork identification

Alternate title:

Earth In Disguise

Artwork creator(s):

Curry, Gwen

Artwork creator(s):

Curry, Gwen

Text author(s):

Butler Yeats, William

Text author(s):

Butler Yeats, William

Installation year:

2001

Artwork description

Source: City of Surrey (2010). Public Art. (http://www.surrey.ca/files/PubArtInsert-Series9.pdf)

Description:

Terra Incognita links the Ocean Park Library with its garden, bringing the garden inside and the library outside. The classical interior architecture of the building lends itself well to the large, clear panels inscribed with flora and fauna on either side of curving windows high above the patrons. The panels have an antiquated style much like old-world etchings with their black and white maps, hawk image and botanical drawings. On the exterior wall facing the garden, delicate script lettering above the windows reads, “Take down this book, and slowly read”.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Take down this book, and slowly read.

Text theme:

A time for thinking and resting.

Artwork theme:

The unknown, thought, literature

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

Quote from When You are Old by British poet William Butler Yeats:

WHEN you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Artist's biography:

Gwen Curry

Author's biography:

William Butler Yeats

Owner(s):

City of Surrey

Document(s):

Public Art : Terra Incognita

Circuit littéraire de Gabrielle Roy

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:02:03 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Gaboury, Étienne

Artwork creator(s):

Gaboury, Étienne

Text author(s):

Roy, Gabrielle

Text author(s):

Roy, Gabrielle

Installation year:

2008

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by par Marc André Brouillette

Source : Photo transmited by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

The installation consists of stations featuring plates engraved with quotes from Gabrielle Roy. Each monument is installed at the exact location described in the quote. Some sites also feature five chairs resembling the human body, all reminiscent of a classroom or theatrical composition, two fields that were very close to Gabrielle Roy's heart.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

The other baby class was open to all
non-French-speaking children, who were
considered English-speaking though they
weren't really any of English origin, but
rather Russian, Polish, Italian, Spanish,
Irish, Czech, Dutch...

I became very attached to it and very
close to those children, and they taught
me a great deal about the folklore, songs
and dances of their people...

So much so that when Brother Joseph
suggested I move
up to a third or
fourth-year class a few years later, I
begged him to leave me with my little
immigrants.
- Enchantment and Sorrow

At the convent, the nuns fostered feelings
of heroic defence in us. Defying the law,
spending what little free time they had to
give us additional instruction, they
continued to teach us in French...

In my last years at school, spurred on,
steered by the sisters, I snagged all of
the prizes awarded by l'Association des
Canadiens français du Manitoba to the
students who came in first in the French
exams.
- Ma petite rue qui m'a menée
autour du monde

Text theme:

Autobiographical stories, self-discovery, quest for identity

Artwork theme:

Discovery of the author's identity, of a place of significance in her life. Houses inhabited by the author, or sometimes by members of her family, and places that inspired her work.

Text reference:

Ma petite rue qui m'a menée autour du monde

La Détresse et l'enchantement

History

History:

The Gabrielle Roy Literary Circuit is a project initiated by Friends of Gabrielle Roy, produced in association with several partners. It was launched in fall 2008 to commemorate the centenary of Gabrielle Roy's birth, in March 2009.

Event date(s):

2008

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

The Gabrielle Roy Literary Circuit is a multidisciplinary project that aims to spread the work of Gabrielle Roy, making it more accessible in places that have influenced her literary work.

Artist's biography:

Étienne Gaboury

Author's biography:

Gabrielle Roy

Document(s):

Le Circuit littéraire

Sur les traces de Gabrielle Roy

Homage to Parenthood

Marie-Claude Langevin — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:14:09 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Latour, Toni

Artwork creator(s):

Latour, Toni

Text author(s):

Latour, Toni

Text author(s):

Latour, Toni

Collaborator(s):

Her father

Installation year:

2010

Remarks on location:

Brighouse Station

Artwork description

Source: Toni Latour (2010). Toni Latour News. (http://www.tonilatour.com/upcoming.html)

Description:

Homage to Parenthood is a six-panel public art installation on display at the Canada Line Brighouse Station. On the panels are 100 clichés, idioms and sayings written in colours that mirror those of the rainbow.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Life is a bowl of cherries.
Nobody's perfect.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Better late than never.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Don't shoot the messenger.
Always look on the bright side of life.
Patience is a virtue.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Don't cry over spilled milk.
This too shall pass.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Every dog has his day.
It's not the end of the world.
Good things come to those who wait.
Stop and smell the roses.
Do it with a smile on your face and song in your heart.
Turn over a new leaf.
Seize the day.

Rise and shine.
What you see is what you get.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Only time will tell.
If you want it done right, do it yourself.
Measure twice, cut one.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
One bad apple spoils the bunch.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
That's the way the cookie crumbles.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
You're one to talk.
It's my way or the highway.
No pain, no gain.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Get your feet wet.
Break a leg.
Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
Stand your ground.
Live and learn.

Think good thoughts.
Home is where the heart is.
No man is an island.
One day at a time.
Get off your high horse.
Beggars can't be choosers.
What goes around comes around.
You reap what you sow.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Ask and you shall receive.
It's a dog eat dog world.
Better safe than sorry.
Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
Wait for the dust to settle.
No news is good news.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Put your best foot forward.
Take the bull by the horns.
Keep your head above water.
Life goes on.

You can do it.
Get with the program.
Don't be a chicken.
Nip it the bud.
Wha'ts good for the goose is good for the gander.
Laughter is the best medicine.
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Roll with the punches.
Every rose has its thorn.
Don't put your foot in your mouth.
Hold out an olive branch.
Take it on the chin.
It could be worse.
Put your money where your mouth is.
Silence is golden.
Waste not, want not.
The third time's a charm.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Count your blessings.
Don't rock the boat.

Every cloud has a silver lining.
There are plenty of fish in the sea.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Tomorrow's a new day.
Many hands make light work.
Keep your chin up.
Get on the ball.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
His bark is worse than his bite.
There's a light at the end of the tunnel.
Money doesn't grow on trees.
Cross that bridge when you come to it.
Don't hold your breath.
When it rains, it pours.
Time flies when you're having fun.
All that glitters is not gold.
The best things in life are free.
You can't judge a book by its cover.
That's the bottom line.

Text theme:

Clichés, idioms

Artwork theme:

This work explores ideas of language, family upbringing, and the cultural specificity of clichés and idioms. It also exists as an homage to her recently deceased father.

History

History:

Part of the 2010 Vancouver Biennale

Event date(s):

2010

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

"I began the project by writing down all the sayings that my dad would use, and then did research on commonly used idioms and clichés from North America, which are incredibly culturally specific. From there, I had tons to choose from and the process really moved into the editing phase. It was a lot like writing a 100-line poem. The phonetic flow of each line was really important, along with the interconnected meaning. There are blocks of text that thematically relate to one another." Toni Latour

Matthew Hoekstra (2010). Dad may be gone, but not his words. Richmond Review
(http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/entertainment/95465209.html)

Artist's biography:

Toni Latour

Document(s):

Homage to Parenthood

Dad may be gone, but not his words

VB Learn

Toni Latour - Text Projects

Monument for East Vancouver

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:56:00 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Lum, Ken

Artwork creator(s):

Lum, Ken

Text author(s):

Lum, Ken

Text author(s):

Lum, Ken

Installation year:

2009

Artwork description

Source: Vancouver (2009). Monument for East Vancouver. (http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cultural/publicart/)

Description:

Neon cross. It contains the words "East" and "Van" intersecting at the letter "A", in the manner of a crossword puzzle.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

East Van

Text theme:

The words serve both as territorial markers and as a revival of an underground symbol of pride and rebellion in East Vancouver.

Artwork theme:

Creates multiple references and associations, including ones with religious and irreverent undertones, which can be interpreted as an affirmation of the identity of the East neighborhoods of Vancouver.

Dimensions

Height:

18.2m

Other information

Note(s):

“[The crossword] signifies the identity of those living in the Eastern part of the city and is often accompanied with the word “rules”. [This] is ironic, as traditionally those in the West of the city have held the economic and political power, though the real estate boom more recently has rendered the boundary between East and West more fluid. The piece monumentalizes a rearguard gesture of defiance, protest, and assertion of identity.”
- Ken Lum

City of Vancouver (2009). Monument for East Vancouver.
(http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cultural/publicart/2010/mm_vaneastmonument.htm)

Artist's biography:

Ken Lum

Owner(s):

City of Vancouver

Document(s):

Ken Lum constructs icon to rule over East Vancouver

Monument to 'East Van' rises near VCC terminal

Monument for East Vancouver

"Mapping and Marking" public art program

Aids Memorial

Marie-Claude Langevin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:23:43 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Wilson, Bruce

Artwork creator(s):

Wilson, Bruce

Text author(s):

Santayana, George

Text author(s):

Santayana, George

Installation year:

2004

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

Curved wall, like a ribbon. On it, the names of thousands of BC AIDS victims have been cut out in the steel. A poem is written above.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

With you a part of me hath passed away

For in the peopled forest of my mind

A tree made leafless by this wintry wind

Shall never don again its green array.

Chapel and fireside, country road and bay,

Have something of their friendliness resigned;

Another, if I would, I could not find,

And I am grown much older in a day.

But yet I treasure in my memory

Your gift of charity, your mellow ease,

And the dear honour of your amity;

For these once mine, my life is rich with these.

And I scarce know which part may greater be,--

What I keep of you, or you rob of me.

“But the energy that is me will not be lost” Dr Peter

Name of AIDS victim

Text theme:

Presence or absence, as felt by those who have lost loved ones

Artwork theme:

Aids

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

The names have been placed randomly on the Memorial, representing the random nature of the impact of HIV/AIDS.

The poem's title, W.P., refers to Warwick Potter, a friend who died in an 1893 boating accident.

Artist's biography:

Bruce Wilson

Author's biography:

George Santayana

Document(s):

Vancouver Aids Memorial

Public Art in Vancouver. Angels Among Lions

A Tale of Two Children: A Work for Strathcona

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:20:01 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Lum, Ken

Artwork creator(s):

Lum, Ken

Text author(s):

Lum, Ken

Text author(s):

Lum, Ken

Installation year:

2005

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

Two large aluminum panels. On one side, an image; on the other, text. One shows an unhappy Caucasian boy. The other, a smiling young Asian girl and an adult woman.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

What an idiot!
What an idiot
you are!
What an utterly
useless idiot
you are!

You so smart.
You make me proud
you so smart.
I so proud
you so smart.

Text theme:

Conjunctions and disjunctions between visual and verbal imagery

Artwork theme:

Parenting
The anecdotal is pitted against stereotypes
Social criticism
The neighborhood

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

The artist grew up two blocks away from the works yard.

Artist's biography:

Ken Lum

Owner(s):

Vancouver

Document(s):

Ken Lum: A Tale of Two Children

Public Art in Vancouver. Angels Among Lions

Time Cones

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:40:25 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Golden, Brad; Eichenberg, Lynne

Artwork creator(s):

Golden, Brad

Eichenberg, Lynne

Text author(s):

Dewdney, Christopher

Text author(s):

Dewdney, Christopher

Installation year:

1996

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

Time Cones mark the entrance plaza of this office tower. Incised into the spiral ribbon of the large cone and the top ring of the planter cones, a text by poet Christopher Dewdney describes the geological strata of the site.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

PRECAMBRIAN ERA

PHANEROZOIC ERA

PALAEOZOIC ERA

CENOZOIC ERA

QUATERNARY EPOCH

HOLOCENE AGE

SCARBOROUGH TILL
POTTERY ROAD TILL
SUNNYBROOK TILL
THORNCLIFFE TILL
SEMINARY TILL
MEADOWCLIFFE TILL
HALTON TILL
LAKE IROQUOIS SAND

PLEISTOCENE AGE
STRATIGRAPHY OF THE ILLINOIAN GLACIATION

YORK TILL
DON

1.8 BILLION YEARS BC HELIKIAN SEA

440 MILLION YEARS BC IAPETUS OCEAN (Ordovician Period)

100 THOUSAND YEARS BC LAKE COLEMAN

70 THOUSAND YEARS BC LAKE SCARBOROUGH

30 THOUSAND YEARS BC LAKE THORNCLIFFE

11 THOUSAND YEARS BC LAKE PEEL

Text theme:

Describes the geological strata of the site and lists the glacial lakes which once covered the local landscape.

Artwork theme:

Suggesting the upward movement of time.

Time Cones act as both urban landmark and garden element, participating in the relationship between landscape, art, and architecture.

Dimensions

Other information

Artist's biography:

Brad Golden; Lynne Eichenberg

Author's biography:

Christopher Dewdney

Owner(s):

Direct Energy

Tree of Knowledge, fragments

Marie-Claude Langevin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 02:02:52 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Chew, Nancy; Metz, Jacqueline

Artwork creator(s):

Chew, Nancy

Metz, Jacqueline

Text author(s):

Various: Salinger, Jerome David; Aristotle

Text author(s):

Salinger, Jerome David

Aristotle

Installation year:

2008

Artwork description

Source: Photo provided by Nancy Chew & Jacqueline Metz

Description:

Engraved images carved into bluestone suggest fragments of a magnificent tree, shadows of the Tree of Knowledge. Dappled amongst the imagery are literary quotes personally selected by library donors. Each piece contributes to the whole, while remaining individual.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Incomplete

The woman I am
Is not what you see
Move over love
Make room for me

The energy of the mind is the essence of life
Aristotle (selected by Sophie, Tony, Sienna Salcito)

I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot
J.D. Salinger (selected by Michael Mok)

Text theme:

Literature

Artwork theme:

The imprint of the community on the plaza

Dimensions

Other information

Artist's biography:

Metz & Chew

Owner(s):

North Vancouver City Library

I am still learning

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:49:02 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Valentine, Frederick

Artwork creator(s):

Valentine, Frederick

Text author(s):

de Goya, Francisco

Text author(s):

Goya, Francisco

Installation year:

2003

Artwork description

Source: University of Lethbrige (2009). University of Lethbrige. (http://www.uleth.ca/)

Description:

Plate placed at the entrance of the library. The text appears in Latin, Spanish, Blackfoot (First Nation), French and English.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Disco adhuc

Aun aprendo

Ni taa Ka Kis To Toosi

J'apprends encore

I am still learning

Text theme:

Knowledge

Artwork theme:

Knowledge, education, learning

History

History:

Cindy Yagos, an administrative assistant in the Library, won the cornerstone quotation contest in September 2001.

Dimensions

Other information

Artist's biography:

Frederick Valentine

Author's biography:

Francisco de Goya

Owner(s):

University of Lethbridge

Architect(s):

Frederick Valentine

Lulu, A Memory Garden

Marie-Claude Langevin — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:50:13 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Metz, Jacqueline; Chew, Nancy

Artwork creator(s):

Metz, Jacqueline

Chew, Nancy

Text author(s):

Palmer Secondary Poetry Club; Paulik Family; Ohler Family

Text author(s):

Palmer Secondary Poetry Club

Familles Paulik et Ohler / Paulik Family and Ohler Family

Installation year:

2009

Artwork description

Source: Photo provided by Nancy Chew & Jacqueline Metz

Source: Photo provided by Jacqueline Metz & Nancy Chew

Description:

The art project consists of two parts: large pavers cut from pillars featuring text and placed at various locations throughout the park; a centre piece of large etched black stone paver slabs placed in a radial pattern incorporating the drawings of horticultural images.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Dad,

What can you see from your poplar tree,
looking back through the wind and wheat?
A Fraser River ebbing high, whose
banks yearn for your feet?

Where is it you are looking,
from your branches up above
the fish ponds that your Father built
and the sleeping Holland bulbs?

Are you looking to the sunny East,
where you first began your climb -
the East where you are still a child
with pockets filled with time?

Are you looking to the Southern warmth,
where trees are always in bloom -
the South that fills your lungs with love
as your children keep the child within you?

Are you looking to the dusky West,
where the day seeps toward the sea -
the West where life reminds us
of what all we’ve witnessed means?

Away on in the treetops,
keep your compass poplar green.
But as you search for where you’re going
hold close the places you have been.

Spending all these hours
Alone by pretty flowers
Beside these towers

Through the field of grass
Buildings grow by the mass
Nature falls fast

Sweet scent in the air
Flowing vividly the hair
Perfect math, the stare

Trading on the soil
Untainted by war’s recoil
To rich and royal

Enjoying cool pond
Together, forever bond
Destiny not wronged

Together
let’s walk hand in hand
and leave reality
in the shadow

With these hands
I mended a broken heart
and grew it into
a garden

A symphony of flowers
singing a new tune
with each step upon the staff

My heart fell
but the wind brought it back
and with it came
a new fragrance

Step in,
indulge yourself
and become
the creator
of your own story

Here,
I can fly,
laugh,
sing,
dance . . .
here,
I am free

Words cannot explain
the beauty of this sight
and the smell of this new beginning

and yet again
I am in love
with the sight
sound
and smell
of the flowers

Someone has painted
this picture
with a spade and all the
colours of the natural earth

Island plantings,
green grass tides lap
at the edges
of blue flower reefs

In the seed I truly live
and with open hands I give

Between these trees, the
ferns grow,
along this path, I go

A hundred shades of green
are enough
but still,
the glorious afterthought of flowers

The trees tick to the
flowers tock:
from fade to beauty,
this giant clock.

These evergreen buttresses,
these cloistered ferns,
these windows of stained life,
are built for you.

The crow calls the gardener
to his bed,
but leaves him tired,
aching, fed.

Gardener, have you left space
for the next plant,
the one I can’t yet imagine
that will make this place
complete?

Oh crow! What does
the tree give you in return
for all that good advice?

I the flower, you the eye.
I am rooted, you pass by.
Come the winter, we will part,
But in the Spring,
O, let us start!

The bird calls to the branch
and so
then next, to my heart
the bright notes go.

Beneath your feet
this garden’s genius lies:
Roots touching in the dark,
seeds most sly.

A cloud dances past
the sun, and for a moment
this can all be seen.

bountiful flowers
dutiful trees
Awe struck by
the beauty.

Text theme:

History, Memory, Poetry, Cultural History

Artwork theme:

The park’s past and people’s experience of gardens

History

History:

Paulik Gardens Neighbourhood Park was formerly the home of two families and contained the large ornamental gardens, woodlot, blueberry farm and bog of the Paulik family, and the Lulu Island Water Gardens of the Ohler family. Today, traces of the water gardens can still be seen, and the former Paulik property is a lush, expansive garden.

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

Fragments of personal stories are overlaid everywhere in the park - phrases taken from interviews with the remaining familiy members who owned the land and from poems by the members of the Palmer Secondary School's poetry club.

Artist's biography:

Jacqueline Metz & Nancy Chew

Source:

museatelier@shaw.ca

Document(s):

Public Art in the City

Lulu, a Memory Garden

Right to the City

Marie-Claude Langevin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:54:14 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Forkert, Kirsten

Artwork creator(s):

Forkert, Kirsten

Text author(s):

Forkert, Kirsten

Text author(s):

Forkert, Kirsten

Installation year:

2004

Artwork description

Source: Photo provided by Marc André Brouillette

Source : Photo transmited by Marc André Brouillette

Source: Photo provided by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

"Right to the City" involves three elements:

1) Ten resin capsules imbedded in the ground along the pathway at Nanaimo and 41^stAvenue. The capsules contain paraphernalia that might be found in someone's purse or pocket.

2) Six metal door and window frames placed in a rectangle to evoke the structure of a house. The doors and windows are made of HSS tubular steel, painted white. The frames also have plates with possessive pronouns cut out of them: ours, yours, his, hers, mine, theirs.

3) Two weathervanes located on the Southeast and Northwest corners of Clarendon and 45^thAvenue. They are comprised of a bearing assembly, a shaft and a rectangular sign that turns in the wind with the words "yours" and "ours" cut out.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Ours

Yours

His

Hers

Mine

Theirs

Text theme:

Notion of community, place, citizen, city, sense of duty

Artwork theme:

The elements in this project explore the contradictions and ambiguities of public and private space.

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

"Before this tract of land became part of the Ridgeway, there was a simple beaten path crossing the space. We see this aspect of our project as a ghost-like trace of an ephemeral, unplanned path - memorializing something that is so much a part of everyday life that it almost escapes notice…" "We have marked out this path with ten clear resin capsules with objects cast into them. The objects are things you would normally carry in your pockets: notes, bus tickets, loose change, etc." About the door and window frames: Our intention is to raise questions around ideas of ownership of and entitlement to the city: whose city? Do we feel the city belongs to us because it is 'public'? Or do we think of entitlement in terms of private property: what we own or don't own?" Regarding the weathervanes: "The turning of the signs in the wind functions as metaphor for shifting notions of community, place, and a sense of entitlement we feel as citizens." "The title "Right to the City" comes from the urban theorist Henri Lefebvre's text by the same name which calls for a different envisioning of the city: for it to be organized for, and belong to, its inhabitants, rather than organized for profit. The elements in this project explore the contradictions and ambiguities of public and private space. Although we can identify in general with Vancouver as 'our city', as belonging to the public, space in the city is clearly delineated: either it belong to you or id doesn't. The space along Nanaimo is technically public space, and unlike the neighbouring yards, anyone can go on this space. However, in the larger scheme of things, do we feel entitled to it as a space? We're interested in drawing attention to the public nature of this space and the claims made on the city. Related to these ideas, this artwork addresses the ephemeral, shifting nature of the site, both in terms of the physical environment and cultural priorities. This area was once a vacant lot and is now a small park. We hope the work will open up a space for contemplation and reconsideration on the meaning of these transitions. This is a chance to look at the neighbourhood in another way, and by extension, the city."

Source: City of Vancouver (2008). Public Art Registry.

http://vancouver.ca/PublicArt_Net/ArtworkDetails.aspx?ArtworkID=429

Document(s):

Public Art in Vancouver. Angels Among Lions

FUNhouse

Marie-Claude Langevin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:56:12 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Metz, Jacqueline; Chew, Nancy

Artwork creator(s):

Metz, Jacqueline

Chew, Nancy

Text author(s):

Metz, Jacqueline; Chew, Nancy

Text author(s):

Metz, Jacqueline

Chew, Nancy

Installation year:

2010

Artwork description

Source: Photo provided by Jacqueline Metz & Nancy Chew

Description:

Three permanent installations refer to the activities of the center. The first component to be installed is FUNhouse: cast aluminum soccerballs, volleyballs and basketballs are imbedded into a concrete wall. Their mirror-like finish evokes the reflective surfaces found in a funhouse. The balls form the braille word for ’fun’.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

FUN

Text theme:

Celebration

Artwork theme:

Activities of the sports center. The pleasure of sport.

Dimensions

Other information

Artist's biography:

Muse Atelier

Owner(s):

Trico Centre

Symbols of the Cuneiforms

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:44:29 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Thomas, Lionel; Thomas, Patricia; Lachnit, F.

Artwork creator(s):

Thomas, Lionel

Thomas, Patricia

Lachnit, F.

Text author(s):

Thomas, Lionel; Thomas, Patricia; Lachnit, F.

Text author(s):

Thomas, Lionel

Thomas, Patricia

Lachnit, F.

Installation year:

1960

Artwork description

Source: Photo provided by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

This artwork is a delicate metal bas-relief with plexiglas inserts. The white sections light up at night.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Cuneiform writing

Text theme:

Cuneiform writing was developed in Mesopotamia

Artwork theme:

Writing

History

History:

The piece was saved during the conversion of the old library in the mid-1990s.

Dimensions

Other information

Artist's biography:

Lionel Thomas

Owner(s):

City of Vancouver

Document(s):

Public Art in Vancouver. Angels Among Lions

Perennials

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:29:22 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Steinman, Barbara

Artwork creator(s):

Steinman, Barbara

Text author(s):

Steinman, Barbara

Text author(s):

Steinman, Barbara

Installation year:

1997

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

A semi-circle of shattered glass screens with etched leaves is visible from the street and lit at night. In the courtyard is a 4,500 sq. ft. leaf-shaped pool; situated around it are black granite seats with a word carved into each like the title of a botanical drawing. The leaf pool is visible in it's entirety from the office suites above.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Transplanted

Wild

Perennial

Seasonal

Uprooted

Cultivated

Hybrid

Text theme:

The interactions of humans and plants in wild and urban environments

Artwork theme:

Nature, the city.

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

"Chance, timing and planning have brought the cultivation of new plants, residents, architecture and even art to the city of Vancouver. Perennials is a sculptural overlay, a botanical metaphor for the constant shifts in natural and cultural landscapes and for the fragility of their survival."

Source: City of Vancouver (2008). Public Art Registry.

http://vancouver.ca/publicart_wac/publicart.exe/indiv_artwork?pnRegistry_No=218

Artist's biography:

Barbara Steinman

Owner(s):

Concord Pacific Group Inc.

Source:

Document(s):

City of Vancouver Public Art Walk : Downtown Shoreline

Public Art in Vancouver. Angels Among Lions

THE WORDS DON'T FIT THE PICTURE

Marie-Claude Langevin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:31:59 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Terada, Ron

Artwork creator(s):

Terada, Ron

Text author(s):

Terada, Ron

Text author(s):

Terada, Ron

Installation year:

2010

Artwork description

Source: City of Vancouver (2010). Public Art. (http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cultural/publicart/2010/lg_thewords.htm)

Description:

The work takes the form of a large freestanding sign that sits in front of the library, just off the southern entrance of the building, by heavy pedestrian traffic.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

THE WORDS DON'T FIT THE PICTURE

Text theme:

Reference to the past

Artwork theme:

Using a typography that is at once familiar and accessible, the artwork is a reference to Vancouver’s neon past, when the famous BOW-MAC sign and legendary Woodward’s W reigned over the city’s skyline.

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

“The sign takes its cues from an era of signage when signs were seen as celebratory, grand and iconic – in effect, as landmarks in their own right, a kind of symbolic architecture… Taken within the context of a public library, the work touches upon – in a very poetic way – the use of words and language as boundless and imaginative, as a catalyst for a multiplicity of meanings.”

Ron Terada

Source: City of Vancouver (2010). Public Art.

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cultural/publicart/2010/lg_thewords.htm

Artist's biography:

Ron Terada

Document(s):

"Mapping and Marking" public art program

Arboreus, after Rodchenko

Marie-Claude Langevin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 02:21:22 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Metz, Jacqueline; Chew, Nancy

Artwork creator(s):

Metz, Jacqueline

Chew, Nancy

Text author(s):

Luis Borges, Jorge

Text author(s):

Luis Borges, Jorge

Installation year:

2008

Artwork description

Source: Photo provided by Jacqueline Metz & Nancy Chew

Description:

A 43’ high glass and glulam installation marks a public plaza and is visible from the library and all approaches. The glass has an abstracted, lifesize image of a cedar tree. Framed by this sculpture, and set on the concrete wall behind, is a text installation which interprets the meaning of the imagery - the two are read together.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

The original is unfaithful to the translation.
Jorge Luis Borges

Text theme:

Expression of the idea that culture and language evolve, always in reference to an earlier version, always becoming something else.

Artwork theme:

Arboreus is informed by the imagery of a giant cedar - a reference to the tree of knowledge, the historic logging industry of Lynn Valley, and the local forested landscape.

Dimensions

Height:

13.1m

Other information

Note(s):

Although the image appears to be a magnificent old grown cedar, lifesize, it is an abstraction, transformed in various ways (including scale, digital manipulation, media, transparency, sitting within an urban context) of an iconic historical photo: Pine Tree, Alexander Rodchenko, 1925.

A further use of text is the latin phrase layered over the image: the scientific name for the Western Red Cedar, Cupressaceae Thuja plicata - a mislabelling.

Artist's biography:

Metz & Chew

Author's biography:

Jorge Luis Borges

Document(s):

Art for art's sake

Lying on top of a building...nearer

Marie-Claude Langevin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:18:17 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Gillick, Liam

Artwork creator(s):

Gillick, Liam

Text author(s):

Gillick, Liam

Text author(s):

Gillick, Liam

Installation year:

2009

Remarks on location:

The text sites on an extension of the floor plate, from floors 5 to 22.

Artwork description

Source: Griffin, Kevin (2009). Public art in Vancouver: What's in a name?. The Vancouver Sun, (December 4)

Description:

Text on the perimeter of the hotel windows. The phrase is repeated several times.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Lying on top of a building the clouds looked no nearer than when I was lying on the street.

Text theme:

Double edged statement that could potentially bring you back to a person lying down on a dock or in a yard in that area in the fairly recent past and looking up at the sky and how that relates to the new development.

Dimensions

Height:

0.63m

Other information

Note(s):

The $1-million public art work was commissioned by Westbank and Peterson Investment Group through the city of Vancouver's public art guidelines for new developments.

Artist's biography:

Liam Gillick

Architect(s):

Cheng, James

Document(s):

Public art in Vancouver: What's in a name? A heck of a lot, actually

Public Art or Hotel? Vancouver Fairmont Pacific Rim

Nous sommes un peuple

Marie-Claude Langevin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:19:22 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Archambault, Luc

Artwork creator(s):

Archambault, Luc

Text author(s):

Archambault, Luc

Text author(s):

Archambault, Luc

Collaborator(s):

Archambault, Pascale; Fonderie d'art d'Inverness

Installation year:

2000

Remarks on location:

Integrated to the front wall of the Institut Canadien

Artwork description

Source: Photo provided by Josiane Gervais

Description:

The work consists of a low relief that evokes the original purpose of the Institut Canadien, 2 bronze sculptures and of five brass plates that evoke its history. The text is engraved on the wall.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Nous. Nous sommes. Nous sommes un. Nous sommes un peuple. Nous sommes le peuple du Québec

Text theme:

Pride of a nation

Artwork theme:

Artist Luc Archambault made a proposal that, while being very contemporary, recalls historical aspects of the institution by offering a symbolic interpretation of its primary goals in its early days. Founded by young intellectuals, the Institut was a response to the Durham Report, which denied the fact that French Canadians had history and culture.

History

History:

The Place de l'Institut was created in order to increase the friendliness of Old Québec as well as attract the population and tourists to this area of the neighbourhood. The artwork was produced under the terms of the Entente sur la mise en valeur de la capitale, an agreement between Québec City and the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec. The Place de l'Institut and La Chaussée des Écossais were inaugurated on November 22, 2000.

Dimensions

Height:

2.4m

Width:

17m

Other information

Artist's biography:

Luc Archambault

Owner(s):

Ville de Québec

Architect(s):

Plante, André

Espace René-Richard

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:43:26 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Forand, Annie

Artwork creator(s):

Forand, Annie

Text author(s):

Richard, René

Text author(s):

Richard, René

Installation year:

1998

Remarks on location:

In the centre of the Royal Bank of Canada Lobby, in the J.-A-DeSève pavillion.

Artwork description

Source: U. Laval (2008) L'art public sur le campus de l'Université Laval. Québec: Université Laval. (http://www.art.ulaval.ca/)

Description:

The structure is a reinterpretation of painter René Richard's boat. Quotes from the artist are engraved on the rear of the structure, in the upper part. Five paintings by the artist are also on display in glass panels hung on the bottom front of the structure.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Inscription 1:

Il arrivait que je ne pouvais plus tenir en place; alors je saisissais mon canot et je suivais les bords des eaux pour ne revenir que quelques jours plus tard.

Inscription 2:

Dans ce décor d'une féérie indescriptible se dressaient des grands troncs d'arbres jaunes comme de l'or, parmi des violets et des rouges.

R. Richard, Ma vie passée.

Text theme:

Tribute to René Richard

Artwork theme:

This artwork represents what was at the heart of the artist's life and work: the forest, water, freedom, travel and the Great Northern Quebec landscape.

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

Competition (launched 1996) for students attending the École d'architecture (Faculté d'architecture et d'aménagement, Université Laval) who were registered with the studio of architectural composition.

Artist's biography:

René Richard

Owner(s):

University Laval

Document(s):

L'art public sur le campus de l'Université Laval.