Here, there, everywhere!
Although colloquially known as an uneventful city, Vancouver boasts an aesthetic that makes it unique through its various displays of public art scattered throughout the city.
Have you wandered around and wondered about the meanings, stories, or reasoning behind different works of art in the City? Look no further, as below are some of the pop-out features that will go from head-scratchers to being featured in your next photo dump.
Marcus Bowcutt/City of Vancouver
Previously known as the 'Trans Am Totem,' it has received a new name and a new home. Originally located on Quebec Street, the piece has been moved to a permanent place near the Granville Bridge. It was initially intended to be a temporary fixture, but Lululemon founder Chip Wilson and his family donated $250,000 to make the work permanent. Vancouver-based artist Marcus Bowcott created the piece in collaboration with his partner, Helene Aspinall. The story behind this work is that cars are a symbol of both necessity and luxury, as well as practicality and waste. The piece enacts thoughts around "the cycle of production and consumption."
Collective You/City of Vancouver
Installed in 2019 under the Granville Bridge, Vancouver-based artist Rodney Graham drew inspiration from his 2005 film, Torqued Chandelier Release. The film is the third in a trilogy that "documents transitory lighting events with the context of a single roll of film." The artwork is 25 feet high and in the style of an 18th-century chandelier. The Spinning Chandelier rotates three times a day at 20 rpm, lowering and then ascending again for approximately four minutes.
City of Vancouver
Many have most likely seen the suspended house on stilts near Cole Harbour at the SeaWall. Liz Magor is a Canadian artist born in Winnipeg and currently residing in Vancouver. Based on an old boat shed, Magnor gifted this to the City after a requested commission from the international property group Grosvenor. The sculpture is a half-size model of a traditional boat house, but cast in aluminum with a coat of luminous paint to stand out at night.
City of Vancouver
Installed in 2010 near the Vancouver Convention Center, the Digital Orca artwork is a standout. Orcas are a familiar symbol for those in B.C., which became the inspiration for artist Douglas Coupland, a lifelong resident of Vancouver. Coupland authored acclaimed books, including The City of Glass, a book that pays homage to Vancouver through essays and photographs. The piece is to commemorate the hundreds of workers around Coal Harbour as well as the Burrard Inlet.
Pachamama Film/City of Vancouver
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) artist Debra Sparrow's collection 'Blanketing the City' in collaboration with the Vancouver Mural festival celebrates the unceded traditional territories that 'Vancouver' is located on. Blanketing the City celebrates Coast Salish Weaving and culture of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh). While Sparrow is the leading artist of the project, Blanketing the City IV in Cathedral Square collaborations with master weavers Chief Janice George of Sḵwxwú7mesh and Angela George of səlilwətaɬ.
"There's a beautiful saying that [says] "without a vision, people perish" and our vision was [uprooted] by history and yet it didn't fully disappear, but we brought that vision back because this is a vision of not only our ancestors but a vision of our people today… this is about how we tell the story of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh." - Debra Sparrow
Looking for more stories behind the artworks surrounding our City? The City of Vancouver has a public art registry that indexes all past and present artworks within the City alongside the city stories and visions of the artists involved.
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