PUBLIC ART IS GOOD FOR YOU
Installations are contributors to the economy, Joey Stewart says
Public art can be an attraction and an incentive for selfies; it can be a destination when one is intrigued by its creation, but it always has meaning for the artist.
Often you have to think about what the artist’s intention is. Fifty per cent of the art is created by the artist and the other 50 per cent is up to the viewer. It always has been that way, since the beginning of time.
But public art is more than something to see, think about or create a “vibe” about a place. It contributes to the economy.
Artists are small, independent business owners who raise their families, such as Jeff de Boer, Doug Driediger, Caitlind Brown and others. Ten per cent of the price for a piece of art goes to the artist while the other 90 per cent goes directly into Calgary’s local economy for materials, fabrication and installation.
Public art spawns amazing new companies such as Heavy Industries and MetalFab, for example.
In 2003, Ryan Bessant was an engineering student at the University of Calgary. One summer, he decided to take a year off school to be an entrepreneur; he focused on creating unique, artistic-themed displays and sculptures by creating Heavy Industries. He and a partner bought a computerized cutting machine to cut everything with precision, from steel to foam. It would be a company that would go on to build and install large public art projects. One of the most complex and unique commissions was for Travelling Light on 96th Avenue N.E. It was inspired by “Calgary, the city on wheels” — one million vehicles for 1.2 million people!
The artist’s statement says, “In the shape of a ring, the sculpture represents the most iconic symbol of movement, the wheel. The arches of the street lamps on top evoke the idea that day or night, the motion is constant. Seen from a distance it forms a huge window framing the expanse of the prairie landscape when travelling north and it frames the urban landscape when travelling south.”
The sculpture reflects Calgary’s love affair with cars and the radiant blue colour repeats Calgary’s infamous blue sky.
It is a marvel of engineering with one piece of rolled steel made into a ring with a radius of 17 metres. Have you noticed it has no cables to hold it up? The blue ring has been integrated seamlessly into the bridge.
Think about the challenge of holding up a hula hoop with one point of contact, and how unwieldy that is. The engineering challenge was huge and took artists and engineers working together to find the solution, which was to integrate it into the bridge. Clever!
Heavy Industries now employs 60 people and it has fabricated and installed public art across Canada and in Los Angeles, New York and Singapore — and the list is growing. Heavy Industries is currently working on a large piece of art for Edmonton by Thorsten Goldberg, called NetG. The firm also is working on a yet to be announced piece with Jaume Plensa, the Spaniard who created Wonderland, the giant wire head in front of The Bow building.
Public art is important to our economy and also speaks to us about who we are and the land we live on.
“Public art is not to be liked or disliked. Public art is meant to be discussed and cause thought” — said a wise elder. Joey Stewart was born in Calgary and is a passionate community builder who serves on Calgary’s public art board and is always open for a cup of coffee to talk about public art. joeycalgary@aol.com
Ten per cent of the price for a piece of art goes to the artist while the other 90 per cent goes directly into Calgary’s local economy for materials, fabrication and installation. Community builder Joey Stewart