Cezary and Danielle Gajewski, 'Continuum'

Artist Background: Cezary Gajewski is currently an Art and Design Professor and an Industrial Design Associate Professor at the University of Alberta. He holds a MFA in sculpture and MDes in Industrial Design both from the U of A. His primary interest is in using Computer Aided Design programs combined with human creativity to design spaces and create art. His CV outlines past experiences in designing private spaces such as rooms and apartments as well as way-finding kiosks for use in more public venues.

Danielle Gajewski has a history as a Collections Assistant with the U of A Art Collection. She also holds an industrial and interior design background and sometimes works together with Cezary on design projects.

As you can see, ‘Continuum’ consists of two large balls of maple leaves suspended in the Century Park LRT station. The leaves do not completely enclose the circle but allow light to pass through them from the large windows in the station. The blue and red works hang separately on either side of the train tracks. The work was introduced in 2009 through the city’s Percent for Art acquisition program, an initiative of the City of Edmonton where 1% of funding from qualifying construction projects are directed towards the purchase of civic art to be displayed on an accessible municipal property. 

My Thoughts: I enjoy the different angles one can view these works within the transit station. From the top of the stairs they appear to be right at eye level, forcing the viewer to take notice. As you make your way down and are standing at ground-level, the works float above your head, providing an interesting angle to view the art. The details and symmetry in the work make me assume the artists used some sort of computer design program to create the template for the leaf sculpture.

 I am not surprised that Cezary Gajewski has a history of making public spaces more comfortable and useful to the everyday passerby. The creation of this artwork to warm up a industrial-looking transit station seems in line with his current interest and focus in his art and design practice. 

Check out the work at the Century Park LRT station and tell me what you think!

Clay Ellis, 'Lodge'

Artist background: Clay Ellis works in the Edmonton area as both an artist and a sessional instructor at the University of Alberta. He was born in Medicine Hat and studied at both Medicine Hat College and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Much of his early sculptural works were in ceramics and concrete but he has been creating pieces in steel since the 1980s. While the early steel works have a limited colour and texture, Ellis has begun playing with light, colour range and surface texture in his more recent pieces. Much of this can be seen in ‘Lodge’.

The work ‘Lodge’ was installed in Churchill Square in 2005 and commissioned for the city’s 100^th anniversary. It stands at the South-West corner of the Square and is easily visible to individuals entering the Square from the library or mall walkways. The work consists of a tall tent-like sculpture made of stainless steel and a polyurethane painted post standing beside the steel structure.

My thoughts: The title implies somewhere people can gather, visit and feel welcome - an appropriate connection to Churchill Square as a central meeting place in the city. I like the shine of this work because it stands out from the other patina steel sculptures dotting the city. While I walked by the work many times without noticing the painted pole, on closer inspection I enjoyed the subtle inclusion of colour to stand out against the abundant dark and monochromatic sculptures in the city.

Let me know what you think about this work! If you haven’t seen it before but would like to, hop on any bus that stops at City Centre Mall or get off at the Churchill Square LRT station.