Artist Info: Ray McAdam is an active artist and art instructor in Edmonton. He received his Bachelors in Design at the University of Alberta and has taught design courses at the university since his graduation. He also works at Grin Design House where he receives contracts for visual media such as posters or advertisements. According to his bio on the Grin webpage, he specializes in CAD 3-D modelling which he uses to create sculptures out of metal, plastic and wood. He also enjoys using his design background to renovate buildings within the city.
'Passengers' was created in 2009 as a Percent for Art commission at the South Campus LRT station. The work consists of clear, plastic bird silhouettes flying under the roof of the LRT station. The birds also contain LED lights so they can be lit when the station is dark. According to the Edmonton Arts Council report, shortly after the sculpture was installed a few of the birds became damaged and fell down from the ceiling. The entire sculpture was removed and the birds re-secured. It was re-installed in the summer of 2011.
My Thoughts: I had never noticed this sculpture in-person before but had seen information about it online wanted to feature it on the blog. I am usually very drawn to birds in art so I headed to the LRT station expecting to be attracted to this work. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with the sculpture. I thought the shapes didn't like birds at all! The silhouette I had been looking forward to seeing reminded me more of a manta ray than a bird. I believe this simplified shape was an attempt on behalf of the artist to get away from the typical bird silhouette used in glass transit stations to frighten away actual birds. Still, I thought a lot of the magic was lost because the shapes did not look like birds. Perhaps if I had seen the work with the LED lights on I would have had a different reaction, but overall I left feeling a little disappointed.
I also wanted to include images of the actual bird-scaring devices at this LRT station so you can see how the objects work together. (shown below) Even though I was disappointed with McAdams birds, I still enjoyed the bird theme going on at the station. Both the sculpture and the functional balls help to make the station seem a little less urban and tie in with the U of A experimental farm visible from the station.
What do you think? Am I being too hard on the birds? Do they look different when they are lit? Maybe it was because I had gone to the station with a pre-concieved idea of what I was going to experience.
Artist Info: Tommie Gallie is an Edmonton-based artist originally from Nova Scotia. He completed a degree in Fine Art at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in the late 60s and continued on to receive his MFA at the University of Alberta in the early 70s. His earliest sculptures often used wood in conjunction with ropes and tar to reference his Maritime heritage. His interest in wood as a medium continued and the majority, if not all, of his later sculptures were made almost entirely out of varying types of wood. Apparently, he often uses smaller pieces of wood to secure the larger sculptural elements together, using balance and pressure instead of nails to create the desired effect. Most of the pieces are site-specific and have been built into a specific location.
'Hidden Charms' was part of a commission from The Places in 1978 when Churchill LRT station initially opened. It is made of both fir and hemlock woods as well as steel rods over the top of the sculpture. The work is tucked into a pedway alcove between the City Centre Mall and Churchill Station and was likely built on site, specifically for the dimensions of the hallway. Unfortunately, there is minimal information about this work or about Gallie's career as an artist. If you have any more information, please post it to the blog!
My Thoughts: I have always been undecided about this work which is why I have not posted about it until now. On some days I enjoy the brief reference to trees and nature in the unwelcoming and sterile pedway. Other days I find the work random and confusing. It doesn't seem to tell me a story and I wonder why it is there. In one of the few articles I found about Gallie I read that he sometimes created juxtaposition in his work through the setting and materials. I think there is a definite juxtaposition occurring here between the whitetile of the station and warm yellow wood in the sculpture. Nevertheless, I find the title 'Hidden Charms' very appropriate. The work cannot be seen from the curving pedway until you are right beside it, leaving an unexpected surprise when you finally get a glimpse of this large sculpture.
What do you think about this piece? Please do let me know if you have any more information about Gallie.
