Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Spring 2015 | Page 37

3 | Havre — Montreal, QC

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Photo: Liz Wreford Taylor

Linda Covit’s Havre is a striking sphere of metallic ribbons that rises 13 metres
above rust-coloured soil and manicured grass on the grounds of the McGill
University Health Centre. This sculpture is full of symbolism. While scaled
to the immensity of the site, Havre also retains a more intimate experience.
Conveyed as a “sculptural embrace,” it welcomes patients, visitors, staff
and passers-by into the artwork through three “doors,” offering a personal
experience. The ribbons also resemble interlinked hands uplifted to represent
the healthcare workers who care for and shelter their patients. In the sunlight,
the sculpture creates ribbon-like shadows that slowly move and transform
throughout the day. At night, blue and blue-green lights illuminate the sphere in
shades of sky and water — a safe harbor in the hospital grounds. This sculpture
is located at Glen Site Main Plaza on the Health Centre grounds.
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Photo: Rob Blanchard

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Photo: Cliff Garten Studio

4 | Écobuage — WINNIPEG, MB

This past September, the newest addition to
Winnipeg’s St. Vital Park was unveiled. Created by the
design firms Plain Projects and Urban Ink, it is part art
installation and part functional fire pit that includes a
seating area. A tapered, laser-cut metal tower sits in
the dappled light of nearby trees that provide relief on
scorching prairie summer days. Visitors are encouraged
to bring their own delectables to barbeque in the fire
pit while enjoying the beautiful surroundings. The
designers chose the fire pit also to symbolize the
controlled burn that nature uses to regenerate the
prairies. The laser-cut patterns on the tower depict a
flame pattern themselves, an element that can be seen
at night illuminated by the real flames from the fire pit.
This unique art space is open year-round in St. Vital
Park, a 46-hectare park on the Red River.

Photo: Acorn Art & Photography

5 | Luminous Crossings

CALGARY, AB
Artist Cliff Garten was inspired by the “x”
symbol of train crossings and the elegant
intersection of train tracks in this public
art installation. Luminous Crossings is a
collection of four freestanding and 16 hanging
sculptures, with a system of LED lights that
illuminate the sculptures and the transit
canopies at night. The colour combinations
are synchronized to the arrival and departure
of the transit trains. In the daytime, the
luminous metal sculptures tower precariously
above the street on narrow bases that allow
traffic to flow easily around them. This
installation can be found in the 7th Avenue
corridor in the downtown core of Calgary.

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