BEE HOTELS Mississauga Public Art Call 2019 Jack Darling Memorial Park
We proposed creating three bee hotels. Each one is constructed out of a section of a repurposed pine beam. Starting with each side measuring 31 cm, the sculptures are carved into a series of organic rectilinear forms. The artists envision the sculptures’ locations responding to the landscape features of the park, while remaining in relationship to each other.
The surfaces of the three sculptures are drilled with holes of different depths and diameters. Sections of the pine are also be charred black to provide visual interest by the contrast of light and dark areas, as well as serve as an invitation to different kinds of bees searching for hospitable dark chambers, away from daylight conditions. Copper inlay, in tones of orange and green, also add to the colour palette.
RISE AND DIP Toronto Sculpture Garden 2018
The Toronto Sculpture Garden is a public oasis. Nevertheless, within its walls the city continues to dominate and control nature. Our proposal attempts to respect nature’s life cycle while celebrating plant diversity and its relationship to growth and decay within an urban context. It focuses on pollinator environments situated in today’s cities, where the idea of play is a vital means for exploration and discovery. Rise and Dip is for human visitors of all ages, as well as vital insect contributors, such as the bumble bee.
LOOPS AND NESTS Shortlisted in the 4 Elements Living Arts “Billings Connections Trail project” competition (2017)
Our proposal is based on bumble bees exploration flight patterns combined with the structures that honey or feral bees build in the wild. Made out of complex organic forms representing the bees highly structured communities, our sculpture is emblematic of how their members’ diverse roles allow them to work together for the betterment and survival of all.
WINTER SURGE Hurontario Street Tree Project, City of Mississauga, 2015
We propose a site-specific intervention where horizontally running, coloured, three-dimensional lines formed a complex and changing visual rhythm along Hurontario Street. Including existing twenty-eight wrapped oak trees, our intervention is influenced by the curvaceous architectural forms of the nearby Absolute World condominium towers.
Throughout the two designated sites, at regular intervals between the wrapped trees, thirty 8’ high plastic columns are to be placed, each accompanied by supporting footings. Multiple strands and colours of lightweight polypropylene rope will wrap around the trees, then pass through upper apertures in the columns to form a colourful swath extending horizontally along both sites. It will be experienced best from street level, depending on multiple vantage points and speeds such as people waiting for the bus or crossing at the intersections, motorists passing quickly or stopped in traffic.
THE MAIN TRUNK City of Ottawa, Main Street Renewal, 2014
Main Trunk creates a canopy of connections between multiple locations, integrating what was industrial and industrious in Old Ottawa East’s past and what is innovative and sustainable today. Based on the form of a standing column, a series of mixed media sculptures, varying in height from 2.5 metres to 6 metres, will be located on the four corners of the Main/Lees/Graham street intersection. These vertical elements will echo each other in their shared forms and palette of materials yet each have a distinct visual identity and placement. Creating a canopy of connections between multiple locations and symbolically reaching across the three streets, Main Trunk will consist of contemporary fossilized, stacked layers. Thematic concerns will be the role of agriculture in the area’s development, what was industrial and industrious in Old Ottawa East’s past, the influence of the canal and the Rideau River, what is innovative and sustainable in the community today. Non-invasive species vines will also be integrated into the artwork highlighting seasonal changes throughout the year.
Hegel | Margo artist team 