16th of 101 works found
State of Nature
Title
State of Nature
Artist
Cannell, Thomas
Date
2010
Medium
iron
Type
sculpture
Dimensions
2.5m height x 5m width x 3m depth
Owner
City of Burnaby
Accession Number
PA2014.7.1B
Location
Deer Lake Precinct Spirit Square
Category
City of Burnaby Public Art Collection
Collection
Public Art
Lat/Long
49.239893,-122.969910
View in Google Maps
http://www.google.com/maps?q=49.239893,-122.969910
This commission, undertaken as part of a multi-city effort called the “Necklace Project” was conceived in advance of the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Olympic Winter Games. Each municipality of metro Vancouver constructed a unique and locally interpreted public art based on a mutually developed theme. Cannell create this artwork as a reflection on Burnaby’s past. There are two connected artworks: Vitality and State of Nature. Vitality, presents a traditional Coast Salish family across four basalt stone sculptures, conveying the circle of life with traditional Coast Salish imagery. The companion piece State of Nature presents abstract butterflies, deer, fish, birds, and flora on cast iron grates that lay atop park waterway draining and utility conduits. The artist states: “After the initial visit to Deer Lake Park with my own family, I was thrilled by all of the families there at dance classes and playing on the rolling hills. This has been directly incorporated into my design, through the rolling landscape and the energy flowing through the artwork.”
Thomas Cannell (1980-present) was born on Musqueam traditional territory and has become immersed in the long-established art and cultural traditions of his Musqueam ancestors. Cannell chooses to push the boundaries of tradition within Coast Salish art, allowing his traditional pieces to find context and resonance within modernization and the more commonly secular arts and cultures of today.