Seen Another Way

I took this in Downtown Vancouver on my way to a meeting on Friday afternoon. It is the fourth installation at Vancouver Art Gallery Offsite. It so caught my attention that i was almost late for my meeting. ;-)

Offsite, is the Gallery?s outdoor exhibition space near Georgia and Thurlow in downtown Vancouver, and is dedicated to newly commissioned, innovative public art projects. It has featured work by contemporary artists, the first three exhibitions being: the photo-based work of O Zhang in July 2009, a sculptural installation by Ken Lum in January 2010, and a large-scale sculptural pavilion by artists Heather and Ivan Morison in October 2010.

In this installation, Elspeth Pratt transforms Offsite through subtle dislocations in the existing architecture?rigid angles become curves, opaque surfaces are lined with reflective skins, and dark stone is covered with bright rubber. These changes were inspired by the Aqua Tower in Chicago. It is very cool to stand in front of and see how she has used traditional architectural forms that surround this site as inspiration for this investigation of urban space. This was opened late June and is titled Second Date. The signage nearby says she "proposes an architecture that is variable and unpredictable, presenting new possibilities for imagining space within the urban fabric of Vancouver . " Love it.