On the southeast False Creek seawall, just east of the Cambie Bridge, is the strangest, coolest art…read moreinstallation around. (It's actually visible from the Cambie Bridge if you are walking across it. It's practically right below the bridge, just off a bit to the side, if you're looking toward the Science Center, close to the VPD parking lot site). In truth, I had passed this structure many times before really noticing it, as it's comprised of large neon letters that spell out "SHOULD I BE WORRIED?" atop of a wooden support beam, and these wooden planks blend in with the craggy site at the shoreline here below the bridge (and of course the neon letters aren't illuminated during the daytime hours). So it's easy to miss during the day. Then, one day, I noticed the sentence atop the beams and now I am fixated on this piece whenever I pass it, when I walk on the seawall in this area between Athlete's Village and Spyglass Place, or when I cross the Cambie Bridge on foot. I keep on wondering, SHOULD I be worried? Should I? And, if so, about WHAT, exactly? There are so many possible stressors to worry about. Should I worry about them all? Prioritize them? Just deal with a few? Or perhaps not worry at all? To me, this work is both whimsical and provocative and it really makes me wonder what exactly should I be worrying about. It's simultaneously humorous and serious. It both blends in to its environment (by way of the rough, unfinished wooden support structure) and it also stands out (by way of the neon letters). In so many ways, it embodies dichotomies and contrasts. One can appreciate it at face value or one can ruminate on its possible deeper meanings. This piece was installed here fairly recently, in 2017, and the artist, Justin Langlois, is a professor and associate dean at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design. He was/is concerned with many of Vancouver's social and economic issues, and his art reflects that. Should we be worried? Check out this art piece, and you tell me! *NOTE: FYI I did not take the awesome photo of this art installation; rather, it is a stock photo, found online on multiple sites (including the City of Vancouver's official site, under its public art tab, and also online in every article about this art piece). So don't think I'm such a great photographer! My photos are usually blurred, or of my hands obscuring the lens...

The spinning chandelier by Rodney Graham should be added to the points of interest for Vancouver…read more If you are into the arts, this is a cool thing to see. The spinning chandelier is situated under the Grandville Street bridge. From downtown it's convenient to get here by foot or public transportation. Three times during the day there is a chandelier show where it lights up and spins. The times are 12 PM, 4 PM, and 9 PM.

I realize that what constitutes "good art" from "bad art" is totally subjective, and that beauty is…read moreindeed in the eye of the beholder. I also understand how and why this particular art piece is so very controversial. After all, it DID cost nearly 5 million dollars and, in essence, it IS a fancy chandelier installed under a bridge where, often, homeless people sleep, in a city ridden with housing issues and homeless people who've fallen through the cracks of society. This art installation has received a ton of flak, deemed "tone deaf" in a world and a place rife with serious issues. All that said, I LOVED this piece, and I will tell you why: -this piece does what "good art" should: it elicits a dialogue about contemporary and/or significant social issues. The very fact that this piece is controversial and has elicited such strong reactions, both positive and negative, tells me that it has done a great service by bringing attention to issues like the homeless, affordable housing, and public art. The worst thing any art could do would be to be ignorable and inconsequential, and have people walk by it and either not notice it or not care. Love it or hate it, you can't say that about this spinning chandelier! People have very strong, visceral opinions about it, either way. But everyone DOES have an opinion about it! -people who take umbrage with this piece often bemoan its high cost and say this money could've been put to better use by feeding and housing the homeless. It's important to note that this art piece was commissioned and purchased by Westbank, the developer of the adjacent Vancouver House. It was not bought by the City. As such, it was privately purchased. I have art in my own home that I've bought - and some I've made myself - and I know that not all of it is liked (or even understood) by others, and I'm okay with that. No-one should criticize me for my taste in art, that I purchased myself. If I was allowed to put it in a public space for others to enjoy, perhaps most would love it and appreciate the fact that they get to enjoy contemporary art without having to pay admission price to a gallery; others may dislike the art, or resent that it is there. But they can't complain that they funded it when they did not, and it would be presumptuous for them to say I should have given my personal money to other charitable causes than fund art. After all, who's to say I don't also give to charitable causes, too? It's my money and I can do with it as I want. -for those who say they "hate" this piece and it shouldn't be on display, I counter, hey, I might hate rap music, but I'd never argue that it should never be made or played. Who am I to tell others what music they should listen to? This piece is really amazing. It is a huge chandelier, comprised of many dangling crystal-like pendants. They've added a third "spinning" time, so now it drops and spins three times a day: at 12 noon, 4pm and 9pm. When it drops, the chandelier lights up, and it spins for about 5 minutes before ascending back to its original position under the bridge. I visited it the other day at 4 pm and videotaped the whole performance. I can see how this would be way more dramatic at night, but the daytime performance was super cool, too. It's quite the feat in engineering, and it garnered a lot of attention from passers-by - many of whom stopped to film the show like I did. The only extra feature I can think of that would make this super-duper cool would be to have some music playing during the spinning performance. That would elevate the drama! But still, it's truly a spectacle, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole whimsy of it! A short hop from the seawall at Howe, and right beside the New Vancouver House and Fresh St. Market and London Drugs between Beach and Pacific. It's truly a sight to behold! Check it out!

Located in the courtyard in front of the Station Square shopping center that and opposite Metrotown…read moreStation, this is a collection of five (now four) cast aluminum sculptures that were commissioned by the City of Burnaby for the Station Mall. According to the artist's statement, they were inspired by the original Monopoly game tokens and are to "playfully explore the dynamics of trade and game-playing." If you look about, you'll find the octopus, the dog, a melon, and a ladies shoe. There was also a gentleman Dandy but he is no longer present. As art goes, it's art. It will make sense to some and not to others. Put me in the "not making sense" column here. [Round number review 20900 overall - 76 in British Columbia - 1884 of 2023.]

In 2012, Station Square, a small, run-down shopping complex located beside Metrotown Mall, closed…read moredown for redevelopment. There are now expensive (I assume) condos and several new businesses, as well as an art installation in the main square. Cordials is by Canadian artist Myfanwy MacLeod and was installed in 2018. It consists of five steel and aluminum sculptures: a shoe, a melon, a dandy, an octopus, and a dog. The shoe, melon, and dandy are clearly visible in the main square, and despite walking past the sculptures several times, I hadn't noticed the octopus, which is on the end of a bench in the main square. The dog, which is not located in the main square with the other sculptures, can easily be missed, as it's tucked around the corner beside the Dollarama. Perhaps there are more sculptures, but as far as I can tell, there are only those five. I admit, I don't quite understand these sculptures; these five items seem so unconnected, and why is the dog so far away from the other sculptures? (Also, why isn't it beside the Pet Smart store?) But it's better than no artwork (and the octopus is pretty neat), and they're fun for the kids to climb on. [Yelp collections: Public Art]

Lots of artwork and sculptures throughout Vancouver and this piece is easy to spot on the north…read moreside of the road at the eastern entrance to Stanley Park. Created by artist Rodney Graham from Abbotsford Canada and working in Vancouver. The sculpture is a nod to model gliders though it looks like the assembler wasn't following the instructions. That's intentional and the artist's statement points out, "I put the models together not with a view to having them fly correctly, but with an eye to their aesthetic value as purely abstract sculptural forms." [Review 20879 overall - 56 in British Columbia - 1863 of 2023.]

Located between Georgia Street (at the entrance to Stanley Park) and the seawall just east of Lost…read moreLagoon (by the Georgia Street overpass), and visible by the road (in case you're driving north on Georgia, entering the Park or going to the Lion's Gate bridge), is this imposing, contemporary sculpture that resembles a mangled glider of sorts. Created by Rodney Graham in 2010, the work was inspired by components of toy glider kits that were incorrectly assembled by the artist for their quirky aesthetic appeal. To me, the work has a 1960's meant-to-be-futuristic Jetson's vibe that is humorous and whimsical and simultaneously serious in a semi-scientific, engineering-esque retro way. To me, it is enigmatic in this way. Whenever I pass this work (which is often!), I keep expecting the propeller at the top to rotate with the wind. I personally love kinetic sculptures, so I am biased: for me, I wish this work was kinetic and the top propellor moved. This work seems to call for actual movement and the piece would be more successful (to me, anyhow) if it engaged with the environment in this way. I love how the base of this piece is modeled after a toy model airplane base, complete with its cheap looking plaque that resembles a plastic sticker plastered on the base with the work's title. I also like the sculptures' toy-like components: red button wheels on high, green and white checkered plane tail, plastic-looking red propeller, blue "rubber bank" holding the various pieces together, etc. Very childish and toy-like and fun.

"Watch yOUR Step" is an art installation of mosaics, located by the Roundhouse Community Center (on…read morea half wall, facing the community center building, on the Pacific Boulevard side, at the corner of Davie Street), as well as an installation of tiles embedded in the ground in David Lam Park. These tiles and mosaic pieces were created by community street youth, and the work was installed in 2002. I am partial to more contemporary and abstract art myself, but I find these mosaic tiles charming, with their juvenile cheeriness and bright colors, conveying a youthful optimism and positivity. And these child-made installations are appropriately grounded in the context of a community center and a park, where children play and laugh and run. I particularly appreciate these colorful works on those drearier, rainy Vancouver days when the city seems bathed in grayness. They are happy, in the way that primitive art appeals to most people: they require no interpretation, they are bright and smile-inducing, and people from young to elderly "get it".

Loved working with leah on the cathedral square project. My wife and I worked on that while we were…read morein Vancouver. So proud that it is still there and looking lovely. Glad to see people appreciating the art and the meaning.

6/3/26 Conveniently…read morelocated and fun to experience! Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a totem pole.. I enjoyed reading the history behind each totem pole and what they represented.. Bathrooms are clean and available..

A beautiful stop along the Coal Harbour waterfront. The Totem Poles offer a glimpse into the rich…read moreIndigenous history and culture of the Pacific Northwest while providing a picturesque backdrop of Vancouver's harbor, mountains, and skyline. The area is clean, easy to access, and perfect for a leisurely walk or a quick photo opportunity. We enjoyed reading about the significance of the carvings and taking in the peaceful atmosphere along the seawall. Worth a stop if you're exploring Coal Harbour or walking between Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver.

Installed in 2009, The Drop is a 65 foot tall bright blue sculpture resembling a raindrop, which is…read morevery appropriate for Vancouver, a city known for its rainy weather. It's by the German group Inges Idee, which is composed of four artists, Hans Hemmert, Axel Lieber, Thomas Schmidt, and George Zey. It's located in Coal Harbour beside the Convention Centre at the Bon Voyage Plaza (I had no idea that there was a specific name for the plaza!), where one can watch the cruise ships arrive and depart. [Yelp collections: Public Art]

Oh, how I love this sculpture!…read more It is both whimsical and serious, literal and abstracted, colorful yet depicting water which is known to be clear.... in other words, it presents a dichotomy or two, spanning categories and allegories, and to me, this is what makes this piece successful. It caters to the sensibilities of people who have vastly differing tastes in art: it appeals to people who prefer more literal depictions of subject matters and to those who prefer more modern, contemporary and even more minimalist abstractions. Furthermore, it is well-suited and grounded in its element, paying homage to Vancouver's rainy season(s), its reliance and location by the ocean, and the city's historical dependence on marine industries and water-dependent agricultural industries (not to mention, the human need for water). The site chosen for this piece's installation could not be more perfect: right along the waterfront, across from the "sails" of Canada Place, with the inlet beside it and the glorious Stanley Park forests just east and the mountains just north providing picturesque backdrops. As a humorous aside, whenever I see this tall, slender, blue raindrop, I personally also see a teardrop, as I tend to be sad when the rains come, and the skies are grey and it's so...dreary. So this raindrop can also be interpreted as a teardrop for those of us who have SAD (seasonal affective disorder) lol.

Having watched the 2010 Winter Olympics on television, I hoped then to someday get the chance to…read morevisit Vancouver to see it in person. Today was that day of a wish coming true. While it seemed more impressive on the tv screen back then, I nevertheless appreciated the moment.

This history with the 2010 Winter Olympics makes this thing seem cooler than it is. I saw some…read morepictures from back when it was lit up with flames and it is in fact pretty spectacular looking. Now it's only lit for special occasions. But besides that as a "landmark" it's just meh. Since I was in this part of Vancouver it was somewhat worth it to stop by just to see it. The big black LEGO dolphin nearby is much cooler.