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Artist Info: Catherine Burgess has already been featured on the blog back in June for her sculpture 'Return'. For those who are not familiar with her work or the previous post, Burgess is Alberta-born and attended the University of Alberta where she focused in sculpture. She is best known for her steel sculptures, many of which are scattered around the city and university campus.
Burgess completed 'Big Rock' with Sandra Bromley, another Canadian artist. Bromley also graduated from the U of A and has been recognized for her work both as an artist and with humanitarian aid efforts. She is probably best known for her massive work 'Gun Sculpture' which she completed with Wallis Kendal. The work is meant to discuss war, violence and black market weapons trafficking. Bromley is also known around Edmonton for her role in developing the iHuman Youth Society - a group that works with high risk youth to teach and create art.
'Big Rock' consists of 62 tons of granite with a living tree on top and sits at the intersection of Rice Howard Way and 101A Street. The work was a commission from The Places in 1995. According to The Places website, the artists worked with a geologist and searched all over the country to find just the right piece of granite. Once they had found the rock, it was blasted out in 3 parts and shipped to Edmonton.
My Thoughts: I had been planning this blog post for a while so you can imagine my frustration when I walked up and saw that it is half-covered because of the nearby construction!! I have included my photo as well as a photo of the full work from The Works' website. (photo credit below). Still, it is interesting to see how it is being protected. A great example of public art conservation in action!
I have always been drawn to this work and am happy it is finally featured on the blog. I find the historic-looking stone matches well with the cobblestone road and heritage buildings along Rice Howard Way. Also, I like the inclusion of the small tree on top of the rock. It makes me think of a small piece of nature nearly lost within the infrastructure. It also reminds me of the wind-blown pines growing out of the rock on the Canadian Shield.
Unfortunately, I don't know much about the artists' inspiration for this piece. If you have any information, please post it to the blog!!
* Photo credit: http://www.theworks.ab.ca/placesfolder/tour/pages/001.html
Artist Info: Laurent Grasso is a French artist who bases his practice out of both Paris and New York. He completed his schooling at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and has since been recognized for his achievements in the art world. Grasso has shown his work at numerous exhibitions around the world and has participated in a number of international biennials. In 2008 he was awarded with Prix Marcel Duchamp for his work in the field of conceptual art. Many of Grasso's works revolve around his interest in studying science and history.
'Soleil du Nuit' was opened just a few months ago, in the spring of 2013. The work sits in two parts - a series of three rotating metal balls right outside the entrance to the Commonwealth Rec Centre and a neon light sculpture with the words 'Soleil du Nuit' close to another nearby parking lot. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see the neon lights when I visited this work but I included a link at the bottom that contains TONS of images of this piece. The artwork is supposed to be about the varying amounts of light we get during the summer and winter months, particularly touching upon the small amount of daylight we get during this time of year. The rotating balls are intended to catch the light and create a shimmering, disco-like effect. The work uses the natural light during the day and is electrically lit at night. Grasso mentioned that he hoped the work would catch the eye of a passersby and they would be led by their curiosity to inspect the work further. Grasso also mentioned that the light-catching balls are supposed to reference early Canadian settlers who used mirrors to communicate to each other across large distances.
The work has been somewhat controversial since its installation. Just like the Talus Dome, some individuals are upset that the commission was given to an international artist instead of a local. According to the Edmonton Arts Council the work was selected by a panel out of many pieces. They selected the work because they liked the idea behind the piece and thought the international status of the artist would give a global feel to the city.
My Thoughts: I am quite drawn to this work. I had been told about the 'lollipop sculpture' but did not know the name of the piece and could not figure out where it was in the city. I was definitely excited to stumble upon it while heading to the rec centre last week! I remember walking up to the sculpture and being unsure if the work was actually moving. I stood still for a few seconds and was pleasantly surprised to find that the work itself slowly rotates! I have visited many pieces since starting this blog and very rarely get to see a moving work in action.
I know this piece has been controversial because the artist is from France. While I understand the argument to give commissions to local artists, I do tend to agree with the EAC in the importance of including international artists to give the city a global feel. The city is becoming a large, world-recognized destination. It is nice to be able to show that we are welcoming to outsiders as well as our own artists. Furthermore, showing we support international art is the only way to have international cities support our own artists.
What do you think? Do you like this piece? Do you agree or disagree with my argument in support of international art?
Here is this link mentioned above with additional images of the artwork: http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/06/10/2o13-o6-1o-day-for-night/
