{"id":34016,"date":"2019-04-05T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/researchdev\/2019\/04\/05\/provocative-new-sculptures-speak-to-the-power-and-connectivity-of-public-art-2\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T09:07:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T14:07:41","slug":"provocative-new-sculptures-speak-to-the-power-and-connectivity-of-public-art-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/2019\/04\/05\/provocative-new-sculptures-speak-to-the-power-and-connectivity-of-public-art-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Provocative new sculptures speak to the power and connectivity of public art"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>Sculptor Brandon Vickerd, AMPD professor, has created large public art pieces in three major cities across Canada, all completed by 2019. Community consultations, workshops and storytelling opportunities have informed his engaging and conceptually rigorous pieces.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_262999\" style=\"width: 186px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-262999\" class=\"wp-image-262999 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/files\/2019\/04\/brandon-vickerd.jpg\" alt=\"Brandon Vickerd\" width=\"176\" height=\"225\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-262999\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brandon Vickerd<\/p><\/div>\n<p>York University Professor Brandon Vickerd, a sculptor in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance &amp; Design (AMPD), continues to make his mark on the Canadian landscape \u2013 both literally and figuratively. Three compelling new public art pieces prove this point: <em>Dwell<\/em>, installed in Ottawa in 2018; <em>Wolfe and the Sparrows<\/em>, slated for next month in Calgary; and<em> The Passenger<\/em>, which will be installed in Waterloo, Ont., in September.<\/p>\n<p>All three commissioned works draw viewers in with highly enigmatic content gleaned from Vickerd\u2019s immersion in the various communities. More than anything, his work is a profound and poetic statement about our connectedness and our relationship to history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy sculptures straddle the line between high and low culture and act as catalysts for critical thought. I want to provoke the viewer into questioning the dominant myth of progress ingrained in Western world views,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n<h3><em>Dwell<\/em> \u2013 a quintessential community engagement project<\/h3>\n<p><em>Dwell<\/em>, part of the Imagined Monuments public artwork project for Greenbank Road, was commissioned by the City of Ottawa, designed in 2017, then created and installed in 2018.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_263001\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-263001\" src=\"http:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/files\/2019\/04\/DWELL-768x228.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" alt=\"Preliminary rendering of \u201cDwell\u201d (left) and photos of installed sculpture\" width=\"860\" height=\"255\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Preliminary rendering of <em>Dwell<\/em> (left) and photos of installed sculpture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In this piece, Vickerd wanted to explore the narrative of and social cohesion in Barrhaven, a rapidly growing neighbourhood in southwest Ottawa. He sought to build a structure that assigned meaning to its history and existence. To do this, he spent five months in the community as an artist-in-residence and conducted numerous consultations, including workshops at the local library and opportunities where seniors could share stories about local history. In fact, Vickerd received more than 30 stories from the community, and held more than 20 in-person interviews and five telephone interviews with prominent Barrhaven residents.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_263004\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-263004\" src=\"http:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/files\/2019\/04\/Old-farmhouse-300x170.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" alt=\"Old Barnett farmhouse, inspiration for \u201cDwell\u201d\" width=\"300\" height=\"170\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Old Barnett farmhouse, inspiration for <em>Dwell<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A tribute to Barrhaven\u2019s history, <em>Dwell<\/em> is a steel representation of the 1818 Barnett farmhouse that was destroyed to make room for suburban growth. It stands 40 feet above the ground, like a sentinel, visible from great distances. It transforms the ordinary form of an old house into something extraordinary, marking both the site and a moment in time; it is a striking metaphor for our relationship with history.<\/p>\n<p>This piece is grand but entirely accessible. \u201c<em>Dwell<\/em> is about connecting to people, their sense of place and their capacity to change,\u201d\u00a0Vickerd explains. \u201cHigh in the sky above the community, it asserts the true core of Barrhaven: the notion of home.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><em>Wolfe and the Sparrows<\/em> compels viewers to revisit Canada\u2019s colonial past<\/h3>\n<p>Next month, <em>Wolfe and the Sparrows<\/em>, commissioned by the City of Calgary, will be installed as part of the 12th Street S. E. Bridge Public Art Project. It is based on a statue of James Wolfe, a British Army officer known for his 1759 victory over the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec.<\/p>\n<p>At a distance, this bronze piece will look like a standard wartime or political monument set in a high-traffic location in a park on a pedestal. But upon closer inspection, viewers will see that a flock of sparrows dramatically erupts from the collar of the figure.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_263008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-263008\" src=\"http:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/files\/2019\/04\/Wolfe-and-sparrows-final-768x334.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" alt=\"\u201cWolfe and the Sparrows,\u201d preliminary drawings and final sculpture\" width=\"860\" height=\"375\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Wolfe and the Sparrows<\/em>: preliminary drawings and final sculpture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Why sparrows? \u201cTurns out, house sparrows are an invasive species in North America,\u201d\u00a0Vickerd explains. \u201cThey were brought to Brooklyn\u00a0in the 1800s by a British bird enthusiast. So sparrows made sense in the context of colonial discourse. When the sculpture is installed, the birds will be flying in the direction of England.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Given that traditional statues of white, European men reinforce the mythology of colonialism, this political work turns history on its head and invites audiences into a discussion about authority, monuments and Canada\u2019s colonial past. \u201cThis sculpture uses the aesthetic language of traditional statuary to actively subvert and destabilize the authority of the dominant culture\u2019s public monuments,\u201d Vickerd explains.<\/p>\n<p>This piece perfectly exemplifies how contemporary society is critically assessing these so-called heroes \u2013 the heated debate over John A. Macdonald statues is a prime example. Vickerd believes the timing is right. \u201cGiven our nation\u2019s 150th\u00a0anniversary and the recent findings of the Indian Residential School Truth &amp; Reconciliation Committee, this is an ideal time to question the role of the monument in narratives about our colonial past,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Public consultation was again embedded in Vickerd\u2019s process. He engaged in conversations with area citizens through workshops and other research processes, and gleaned an idea of the essential components to the piece \u2013 primarily, the relationship between the site and First Nations people, and the idea that the artwork should address a sense of history and challenge audiences by being conceptually rigorous.<\/p>\n<h3>Humorous and intriguing, <em>The Passenger<\/em> invites reflection of our relationship to nature<\/h3>\n<p><em>The Passenger<\/em>, commissioned by the City of Waterloo for the ION Rapid Transit Public Art Project, will be installed in September.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_263016\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-263016\" src=\"http:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/files\/2019\/04\/Passenger-final-4-photos.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cThe Passenger,\u201d initial concept far left, followed by close-ups flanking finished sculpture \" width=\"691\" height=\"535\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>The Passenger<\/em>: initial concept far left, followed by close-ups flanking finished sculpture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Situated on a pedestrian walkway at the R+T Park ION Station transit stop, at first glance this bronze sculpture will look like an average commuter on his daily trek to the office. But on closer inspection, audiences will realize that the piece is a curious compilation of lifelike animals (based on taxidermy models) \u2013 squirrels, a raccoon, an owl, a turtle, a duck and a salamander \u2013 that are bursting out of the shell of a man.<\/p>\n<p>This piece inspires reflection on our relationship with nature in a witty and captivating fashion. \u201cShifting from normal to surreal, the work has an uneasy quality,\u201d\u00a0Vickerd explains. \u201cIt shows the extraordinary possibilities beneath the mundane we take for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again, community consultation was key. In selecting which animals to feature, Vickerd reached out to local experts ranging from those in the University of Waterloo\u2019s Ecology Lab to the local chapter of Ducks Unlimited. He also spent hours observing commuters to ensure that the attire was spot on: dress shoes, slacks, a button-up shirt (no tie) and a light jacket.<\/p>\n<p>Vickerd\u2019s new commissioned pieces \u2013 each challenging in their own way \u2013 make a strong statement on the power and connectivity of public art.<\/p>\n<p>To watch a video about <em>Dwell<\/em>, see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6_92nyK9hvI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a>. To learn more about Vickerd, visit his <a href=\"https:\/\/ampd.yorku.ca\/profile\/brandon-vickerd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">faculty profile page<\/a> or his <a href=\"http:\/\/brandonvickerd.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about Research &amp; Innovation at York, follow us at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YUResearch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@YUResearch<\/a>, watch the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PlG-dye10AA&amp;list=PLE7AE62D4FD0E0AEB&amp;index=23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">York Research Impact Story<\/a> and see the <a href=\"http:\/\/research.info.yorku.ca\/files\/2018\/08\/2018-19-Infographic.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">snapshot infographic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>By Megan Mueller, senior manager, research communications, Office of the Vice-President Research &amp; Innovation, York University, <a href=\"mailto:muellerm@yorku.ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">muellerm@yorku.ca<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sculptor Brandon Vickerd, AMPD professor, has created large public art pieces in three major cities across Canada, all completed by 2019. Community consultations, workshops and storytelling opportunities have informed his engaging and conceptually rigorous pieces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":34018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[107,67,39,5972],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brainstorm","category-fine-arts","category-news","category-school-of-the-arts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Provocative new sculptures speak to the power and connectivity of public art | Research &amp; Innovation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For immediate release: Provocative new sculptures speak to the power and connectivity of public art. 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