Sneak Preview - World Eclusive!

I've been working on the reconstruction of Bank Street in Ottawa for about 6 years.  When we completed the overall concept for we thought that the Glebe neighbourhood would be the first phase and the public art competition was held in 2008.  As it worked out the Glebe reconstruction was last and only happened last summer.  It will be completed this spring when the trees, site furniture and art are installed.

Tim Desclouds was awarded the art commission and has produced about 23 individual pieces.  The city got more than their money's worth, even if measured by the pound.  The theme is neighbourhoods as represented by chairs of all sorts.  Like all of Tim's work, the sculptures are whimsical and have a  fun, carnival, busker quality about them as most of them will be on 10 foot poles.  I think they will provoke thought and and discussion as well as become treasured landmarks.

Tim was gracious in adding many of the design team on the credit plaque.  The key collaborator was Mike Mulligan, welder extraordinaire.  I can't say I worked with Tim, as we mostly just discussed things and agreed - always a pleasure.

The installation will be in early May, but you saw it here first!

Of Course Ships Have Spirits

This is another one of my favourite pieces in the City of Ottawa's art collection.  It's a playful work which I often pass by when I'm at City Hall attending to less than playful matters.

It was made by Alex Wyse in 1984 and is called "Of Course Ships Have Spirits".  It stands at eye level and is about 1.2 m long.  There are snippets of text on the rainbow at the centre of the ship "Sailboat sail avoid that gale" on the front and "And so many were to find their graves" on the backside.

Seagulls populate the sides complete with cartoon-like speech bubbles capturing their conversations.... " "I enjoy a somewhat independent lifestyle", "Gosh I saw a good documentary on flight", "Oh you caught that too", "The forecast is for a trough of low pressure", "I don't trust the radio".

Now you know what all the noise is about when you hear a flock of gulls.

Different Kind of Totems

I'm a big fan of the City of Ottawa's public art collections and program.  One of my favourite pieces is by Jim Thomson. These three columns stand in the main corridor of City Hall. and I enjoy them every time I pass by.  They are made of ceramic and stand about 2.4 m tall.

If you have looked at this blog you will see I am very interested in symbolism.  The  mythology and iconography of Haida carving resonates with me even though I live 3000 miles form the left coast. I think of Thomson's work as totems and it has inspired some ideas about totems I would like to craft.

The City narrative states:

On Top of the World is a three-part ceramic sculpture, designed to generate philosophical optimism about the viewer's life and existence. The turtle, dog, and the spiral interact to form a reassuring and celebratory environment. The clever and attentive dog symbolizes myth and paradoxes, while the turtle, carrying its home wherever it goes, represents history and experience. Both figures gaze towards the third vase, a spiral of pure energy, representing a timeless and all-embracing world.

Don't expect such high falutin text about any totems I might make.