Ozymandias

Another grey day out today, so I thought this broody bit of black and white would be appropriate. Another Biennale piece, this one's called Eros Bendato Scrippolato by Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj. It's located in a cobblestone square in Yaletown. There's something Ozymandian about it, which appeals to my science-fiction post-apocalyptic sensibilities.

Post title from the poem (here recited by Ben Kingsley) by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Hammock

We've had a grim spring so far. Endless rain. Cool drizzly days. It's depressing. I even posted on flickr a shot taken from my apartment window of the murk and cloud, titled: This is what despair looks like.

However, on a rare sunny day last week, the first day I actually got out on my bicycle this year, I happened upon a couple of enterprising souls who had managed to string up a pair of hammocks on this piece of public art. I'd been meaning to get a photo of this sculpture for months, as it's near my neighbourhood, and very close to this and this. Glad I had my camera with me!

Post title from this song by Elevator Suite.

Echo Beach

Grabbed this quick shot on Saturday while we were leaving brunch with some friends near Kits Beach. It'a another biennale piece, this one called "Echoes" by Canadian artist Michel Goulet. It's comprised of a line of chairs with phrases in English and French on the seats. It reminded me a little of the metal chairs you can find in the Tuileries in Paris. My own little homage to Paris Daily Photo.

Post title from this song by Martha and the Muffins.

For Making Art

Been a while since I posted a Biennale piece, called "Joe Sola Is Making Art". This one's suspended near the escalators at the Yaletown-Roundhouse Canada Line station at the corner of Davie St and Mainland St. The piece is by, obviously enough, American artist Joe Sola.


Post title from this song by Mal Blum.

Stainless Steel

Another Biennale piece, this stainless steel sculpture, "Borbora" by Vladas Vildziunas of Lithuania sits across the street from the main train station, in Thornton Park. I've managed, without really planning to, to take photos of ten of the Biennale's thirty-one current installations. Twenty-one to go!

Post title from this song by Emily Weedon and Delta.

The Blob

Another Vancouver Biennale piece. Made of stainless steel and located at the corner of Georgia Street and Granville Street, it's called Artificial Rock #143, by Zhan Wang of China. I like the way, in this shot, it looks like an amorphous mass oozing through the city, like The Blob.

By this point you may have guessed that science fiction books and films figured prominently in my growing-up years.

Post title from this song by The Five Blobs.

Pillow Talk

It's been a while since I posted a Biennale piece. This one is called Pillows, by Liu Jianhua of China. It's located in Harbour Green Park as well - not far from this and this. The sight of oversized white fiberglass pillows strewn across the lawn is definitely incongruous - I suppose that's the point of the piece!

Post title from this song by Sylvia.

Skin of Time

Another Vancouver Biennale piece, this one's a sculpture by Choi Tae Hoon of Korea called Skin of Time. It's nestled into a little green space that's part of Harbour Green park, but above the seawall at street level and closer to the downtown core at the foot of Bute Street. I haven't photographed it before because it apparently includes an LED display after dark, and I wanted to see that. This morning as I cycled past, I liked the way the mid-morning sun was hitting it and decided to duck under the barricade, crouch down in the grass and point my lens up at it. It reminds me a little of this photo.

King & Queen

Another Biennale piece. This one's along the seawall in Harbour Green Park. It's called The King and Queen, and is by Romanian-born Canadian artist Sorel Etrog. On the placard accompanying the installation is: "In this work the artist makes manifest the complex relationship between man and machinery and the conflict between individual agency in craft and industrialized mass manufacturing in the modern world."

It doesn't say anything at all about the statues being covered in muddy footprints.

In the background is the Westin Bayshore Hotel, Stanley Park, and Coal Harbour Marina.

For photos that show the entire piece, click here.

Post title from this song by Mary J. Blige featuring John Legend.

Ceramic Forms

Another Vancouver Biennale piece, called "Ceramic Forms" by Yee Soo-Kyung of Korea. On the placard describing the installation it says, "This young artist transforms traditional Korean objects and concepts into new contemporary forms by recycling fragments from the works of master Korean ceramicists." Taken next to the sea wall, close to this statue, and looking the opposite direction from this shot of Coal Harbour (but on a different day).

Engagement

Another Vancouver Biennale piece. Engagement by Dennis Oppenheim of the USA, which is on the strip of grass and trees that runs between Beach Avenue and the water. This photo was taken just a few hundred meters down the street from another Biennale sculpture. The lights in the background are on the shoreline of Kitsilano, on Vancouver's West Side.

This is the first time I've tried to take a picture of it at night - next time I must remember to bring a tripod with me! To keep the camera steady enough for the slow shutter speed I had to sit in the damp grass with my elbows supported on my knees, hold my breath, and keep the camera absolutely still. I was so still I could even feel the beating of my heart causing my body to gently move!

We, 2008

Another Vancouver Biennale piece, called "We, 2008" by Jaume Plensa of Spain. In its entirety, it's a figure of a person, sitting with knees drawn up to chest. The whole thing is made up of aluminum cut-outs of the word "we" in various languages. Since there are plenty of photos out there of wider views of this sculpture, I wanted to get a different perspective. So I walked inside it and looked out toward the seawall, Sunset Beach, and English Bay. Click here for a view of the whole installation.

Theme Day - Red

I've just registered Vancouver Daily Photo with the City Daily Photo Portal, where there are over 1000 blogs listed of cities all over the world. Every month, the first of the month is a theme photo day. Today's is "red", and here is my entry for it!

This is another Vancouver Biennale piece. It's called The Stop and is by Michael Zheng. For a change I wasn't taking photos in the city centre - although you can see some of the downtown buildings in the background here. This is in Charleson Park, on the south bank of False Creek - which isn't a creek at all, but a narrow inlet of the ocean. This installation is along the seawall, about halfway between Granville Island and the Olympic Athlete's Village site.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Meeting

More Vancouver Biennale art. This statue is part of an exhibit called "Meeting" by Wang Shugang, and it sits on the Coal Harbour side of the downtown peninsula, adjacent to the seawall. I took this photo a few days ago during a light rain when I was out on my bicycle. I had to stop and get a closer look. I like the way the raindrops appear to be tears streaming down his face. It's made more poignant when you see the statue in full, as he's positioned in a pose of supplication. The building in the background is the Westin Bayshore Inn, where Howard Hughes famously holed up for almost 6 months in the penthouse suite in 1972. I'm going to try to get around and photograph all the Biennale works in the next few weeks.

A-maze-ing Laughter

At the moment there are temporary public art exhibits all over the city as part of the Vancouver Biennale. This is part of an installation called A-maze-ing Laughter by Chinese contemporary artist Yue Minjun. It's a very popular exhibit - there are always people walking amongst the statues, kids climbing on them, and people imitating the poses for pictures. To see the whole installation and get a sense of scale, click here.