Public Art

Together

by David Jacob Harder 

From a distance, you can see a larger-than-life adult and child walking hand in hand up to the entrance of the Minoru Centre. As you get closer you see a swimmer, a tree, a group of walkers, a heron, a dancer, and hundreds of other silhouettes that compose the two immense figures. But one thing that may not be that apparent is that this public piece of art is not only a symbol of the community, it is the community. Composed of more than 300 silhouettes of Richmond community members as well as local ecology, the work seeks to embody this place, and reflect the active and vibrant lifestyle of Richmond.

Together | Commissioned by the City of Richmond, 2018

Errant Rain Cloud | Commissioned by the City of Richmond, 2018

Errant Rain Cloud

by Gordon Hicks and Germaine Koh

Errant Rain Cloud is a functional artwork that has within it mechanisms that operate within the environment of the Aquatic Centre to whimsically reproduce the natural atmospheric water cycle. Once or twice a day (depending on the amount of activity in the pool) a brief and gentle shower falls from the cloud into the leisure pool.

While the natural water cycle is powered by the sun, this very local interior “climate” is driven by the interaction of humans and the building’s environmental systems:  humidity is produced as visitors splash in the heated water, and Errant Rain Cloud chills this moist air to produce water, much like the building’s dehumidifier systems.

What are you doing, Richmond? | Commissioned by the City of Richmond, 2018

What are you doing, Richmond?

by Sylvia Grace Borda

What are you doing, Richmond? is a visual arts project created by artist Sylvia Grace Borda for the opening of the new Centre of Active Living.

The artist closely collaborated with participants such as seniors, swimmers, and track and field athletes, and worked with each of them to pose motionless during their games, events, or training sessions in order to be recorded by 360 degree cameras.

Known for her staged panoramic portraits in Google Street View, these scenes are constructed from multiple images to create what appears to be a singular moment in time.  These portrait works can be viewed online as immersive artworks in Google Street View, or as close-up exhibition prints at Minoru Centre for Active Living.

Together the resulting artworks are an exciting and intimate record of both the people and spaces that define the Minoru community and Minoru Centre for Active Living.