Œuvre d'art public

Right to the City

Kirsten Forkert, Right to the City, 2004. © Marc André Brouillette
Kirsten Forkert, Right to the City, 2004. © Marc André Brouillette
Kirsten Forkert, Right to the City, 2004. © Marc André Brouillette
Kirsten Forkert, Right to the City, 2004. © Marc André Brouillette
Kirsten Forkert, Right to the City, 2004
Kirsten Forkert, Right to the City, 2004
Kirsten Forkert, Right to the City, 2004
Locations:
Ridgeway East Greenway, 5500 rue Nanaimo , Vancouver, BC, V5P 4J3, Canada
5800 rue Clarendon, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Artwork creator(s): 
Forkert, Kirsten
Text author(s): 
Forkert, Kirsten
Installation year: 
2004
Description: 

L'oeuvre comporte trois éléments :

1) Dix capsules incrustées dans le sol le long de la voie à Nanaimo et la 41e Avenue. Les capsules contiennent des objets qui pourraient se trouver dans les poches des gens.

2) Six portes en métal et cadres de fenêtre placés dans un rectangle évoquant la structure d'une maison. Les cadres ont également des plaques avec des mots

3) Deux girouettes situées dans le sud et nord-ouest coins du Clarendon et 45e Avenue.

Text of the artwork: 

Ours

Yours

His

Hers

Mine

Theirs

Text theme: 
Notion de communauté, Lieu, Citoyen, La ville, Le sens du devoir
Artwork theme: 

Les éléments de ce projet explorer les contradictions et les ambiguïtés de l'espace public et privé

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." Re 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

Steil, John, Aileen Stalker (2009).  Public Art in Vancouver. Angels Among Lions. Vancouver : TouchWood Editions, p. 176