99 luftballoons

Ok, so I don't think there are actually 99 here? (I didn't have the patience to count), but nevertheless... it was a pretty fun sculpture that we saw on our trip to Science World. And how can you not think of that darn 80s song when you see this. Hmm.... now I have that darn song in my head, and it will probably replay all day.

big bird

Whenever I see an oversized sculpture, I always feel compelled to take a picture. I guess a lot of people do, which would explain why many tourist attractions include a “World's Largest _______ (insert object here)”. Well, I'm sure this isn't the world's largest bird sculpture, but I had to snap the pic nonetheless. To give a sense of scale, you can see little Jasper standing near it's feet. Chirp chirp!

winter stop

It snowed here yesterday morning, but as fast as it was here, it was all gone by the afternoon. So instead of the standard snowscape to share with you today... I thought I would share some public art blanketed in light snow (this installation is part of the Vancouver Biennale). It reminds me that we should all just stop and enjoy the fleeting moments of the snowfall.

bear bums

Remember the post from last week about the orange bear sculptures that sit outside one of Vancouver's Skytrain stations? (see post here for a refresher). Well, thanks to Kristen from Knotted Nest for letting me know about the other half of the sculpture that sits in the Toronto Sculpture Garden! How cool that the bears enter one wall on the other side of the country and come out another wall out here on the west coast. Seeing these orange kraft dinner colored bear bums still bring a "cheesy" smile to my face.

photo: Toronto Sculpture Garden, artist: Dean Drever

orange you glad to see me?

Just outside one of the local skytrain stations here in Vancouver (basically our city subway system) sits a trio of giant day-glo orange bears. Pretty hard to miss them... they are pretty fluorescent. They somewhat remind me of fake cheese and macaroni, but in a good way of course. They are one of the many new public sculptures that have popped up around the city for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Check them out at the 49th Avenue Langara station, if you get a chance... they will make you smile and perhaps say "cheese" too.

well balanced

Down by the water near some of the Olympic pavilions, there are a series of temporary rock balanced sculptures. I have seen them near Stanley Park before, where artist Kent Avery will have dozens and dozens of balanced rocks, small and large beautifully balanced (i.e. no glue, or rods, etc... just rocks) and arranged along the shore... some of the stacks are balancing more than 8 rocks! Not sure it is the same artist, but they sure are beautiful to look at. Check out this cool video of the artist here.

ikons

More art talk to share with you today. With the approaching Winter Olympics, there has been no shortage of things to see and do in this city lately, thanks to the abundant offerings of the Cultural Olympiad. This past weekend, one of the coolest exhibitions we saw was a collaboration between visual artist Eric Metcalfe and experimental composer George Lewis called Ikons. When approaching each free standing colorful sculpture, visitors' motions trigger different audio compositions, so that no sequence of sounds is the same. Roger and I, literally were dodging and hiding between sculptures to see which one would emit the craziest sound... (yes, we are easily amused... and yes, at the time, we were the only two people there). Anyhoo, check it out if you get a chance... it is FREE!

I will post more Olympiad things that we see and encounter in the next few weeks... more art, more shows/concerts and visits to the many pavilions... basically our budget-friendly experience of the Olympics, since $400 Olympic hockey tickets were a bit out of the question for us.