"Canoe & Calipers"
I've driven by this sculpture many times but was always in a hurry so Sunday morning while out for a walk on the Lakeshore I made a small detour of a block to get a pic of this quite unusual piece. The artist is John McEwen whose work I have shown a few times (remember sleeping Teddy - here) and it was installed in 2006 as part of the "% For Art" for private development which is a city program requiring art in development budgets. I always found the piece intriguing and its accompanying sign explains the imagery well. The piece was meant to mark the meeting of 2 technologies - First Nation peoples and early explorers who used canoes to travel on Lake Ontario and the nearby Humber River, and the fact that the site had been occupied by an iron works factory for many years until being developed for condos.
16 comments:
Good thing there's a sign, or I for one would be scratching my head!
Cool!
It's much better with an explanation! ;-)
Ah, that's why I haven't seen that before. Haven't driven along the Lakeshore in several years when passing through Toronto.
Photo caught my eye instantly - how truly unusual. The explanation makes it all make sense. What a great thought provoking piece.
As far as my piece today - I really didn't like it either. There are some great artists working on it, but it just is not coming together in any way that appears to me anything other than bad graffiti.
This certainly grabbed my attention, but was also confusing until I read your commentary and then it made perfect sense. Nicely done, Pat!
Eye-catching piece, the explanation certainly helps!
This one would stop me in my tracks too.
I don't know. Seems forced to me.
Sure you are.
I like it. I like the contrast between the ages and I like that it makes you think.
The explanation makes it perfectly clear, very unusual and very apt!
It's definitely something different!
How unusual! :-)
A very unusual sculpture Pat no wonder you were keen to snap it.
I'm glad you explained it as otherwise I don't think I would have understood it.
Makes perfect sense when you know what it's supposed to mean...and it is certainly aesthetically pleasing even before you know.
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