Thomas Cannell, creator of the sculpture, with his work. Evelyn Ford
Burnaby NOW
By Janaya Fuller-Evans, Published Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thomas Cannell, a Coast Salish artist, wandered through Deer Lake Park and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts to develop his concept for Burnaby's newest public art piece.
What he saw, everywhere, were families.
Vitality, which was installed on Wednesday, is representative of a family journey, Cannell Said.
Each roughewn column depicts different aspects of the family, sculpted into the stone using a variety of techniques.
"I wanted to play with the texture of it," Cannell explained.
To that end, Cannell polished parts of the piece to the consistency of granite countertops and incorporated chiselled texture, as well as the natural stone, which surrounds the images.
Cannell had originally considered creating a flat piece and looked at wood as a medium, a he has worked extensively with wood in the past. But basalt does not need maintenance and will last for thousands of years, he pointed out.
The medium also connects with the newly installed Spirit Square, where the sculpture is located, which has basalt banding embedded in the concrete.
Spirit Square is adjacent to the Shadbolt Centre of the Arts.
Cannell started the sculpture in November, searching for the largest columns he could find through landscape suppliers. He finished the piece last week.
Each of the columns is about three metres tall and weighs more than 10 tonnes.
It was the second public piece Cannell has completed on his own. Cannell, who is the son of a well-known Coast Salish artist Susan Point, often works with his mother on projects as well.
Cannell is now working on designing cable trays to be installed at Deer Lake Park, which will be able to hold electrical cables and hoses so concert- and festival-goers will not trip on them. It is one of the many projects underway as Deer Lake Park is renovated prior to the summer festival season.
"I'm glad they allowed me to do this," Cannell said.
He is incorporating elements of the parka in his design, including fish, deer and flowers - tulips, in honour of his Dutch grandmother.
However, the individual elements will be difficult to spot without stopping to look at them, he said.
Vitality will be presented at the Discovery Day Festival on Sunday, July 18, at the grand opening of the renovated park. Cannell plans to attend the event.