Client: Calgary Public Art

Location: Calgary, AB, Canada

Completion date: 2016

Artwork budget: $150,000

Project Team

Artist

Matthew Geller

Hutabu LLC

Industry Resource

John Grant

Public Art Services

Landscape Architect

Garth Balls

IBI Group

Architect

Coban Christiansen

Marshall Tittemore Architects

Industry Resource

Lance Gandy

Gandy² Lighting Design

Industry Resource

Clint Allen

New Aspect Design LLC

Client

Rowena James

City of Calgary Public Art Program

Overview

Integrated into the landscape adjacent to the entrance of Calgary’s Great Plains Hockey Facility, "One Puck Hollow" is the facility’s third arena. The micro-amphitheater provides a gathering space for spectators and players. It references key features of the hockey rink—the face-off circle (the red rail is the same 30-ft diameter as the face-off circle), the 2-ft diameter black face-off spot (black flat rock in the center), and the boards separating the rink from the spectator. (con't below)

Goals

One Puck Hollow can range from a subtle infiltration in the landscape on a warm summer day to a vivid splash of color on a cold snow-covered winter night. (It’s Calgary’s first public artwork that leverages snow as an element of the work.) The LED lights (hidden under the upper rail) illuminate the green or brown grass or the snow below the rail and gradually change color based on the day’s average temperate in Calgary. • Painted & stainless steel, LED lights • 4’ x 60’ x 60’ • Location: Adjacent to the Great Plains Hockey Facility Entrance • Commissioned by: Calgary Public Art

Process

John Grant Projects provided design development and fabrication services for the structure. Site development was a collaboration with IBI Group (Landscape Architects) and Marshall Tittemore Architects. Lance Gandy (Gandy Lighting Design) designed the lighting system and Clint Allen (New Aspect Design) programmed the lighting show.

Additional Information

I use materials from the everyday outdoor environment—anything from benches, to swings, to canopies, to water—& bring them into the realm of art. I create a level of connection to the familiar while highlighting elements of awe & beguilement, often using existing artifacts from the site and retrofitting them to create a micro public square or landmark that encourages creative patterns of use. The artwork becomes part of the community's fabric & integral in shaping the way we live in public space. The idea is to surprise while fostering a sense of community around an unlikely object or site.