Client: District of North Vancouver

Overview

A cement skim creates the image of leaf veins on the outside plaza and inside across the entire floor of the lobby and along the spine of the building (9,000 sq ft). The artwork’s relationship with the community “comes into play” as many of the veins have local street names on them. The leaf is a fanciful approximation of reality. Visitors see the individual components of their neighbourhood re-imagined as vitally connected to each other and part of a living thriving organism that draws its strength from each individual part and in turn nourishes the whole.

Goals

The Public Art projects created for the new Community Recreation Centre will:
Be celebratory of the recreation, leisure and community;
Deliver bold visual or other sensory impact;
Create opportunities for social or physical engagement;
Provide ongoing interest and meaning for regular users of the facility.

Additional Information

It is my hope that the artwork will spark an ongoing sense of play among children as they seek out their own streets and their friends’ streets. On a more practical level, the veins provide visitors with a subtle and beautiful visual wayfinding that guides them into and out of the building and to the reception desk from the elevators. Staff use the street names to direct visitors to specific activity rooms.