Title

RainCatcher

Artist

Harding, Noel

Date

2013

Medium

steel

wood

Type

sculpture

water feature

Dimensions

10.1m height x 3.9m width x 4.8m depth

Owner

City of Burnaby

Accession Number

PA2014.9

Location

Edmonds Community Centre

Category

City of Burnaby Public Art Collection

Collection

Public Art

Lat/Long

49.220631,-122.947771

View in Google Maps

http://www.google.com/maps?q=49.220631,-122.947771

RainCatcher is a public art work which is reminiscent of a household watering vase. Artist Noel Harding suggests that the Edmonds Community Centre is a place of nurture and care, a centre that tends to its community’s needs. As such, the artist emphasizes re-growth, resilience and sustainability through this artwork, which incorporates stainless steel and Douglas fir timber. The sculpture’s abstract metal forms create a canopy of foliage that collects water when it rains. The trickle and flow of water animates RainCatcher and emphasizes the importance of water as a resource to life, supporting the plants that complement the sculpture’s base. Artist’s Statement: RainCatcher is a polished steel vase emphasizing nature and nurture as it tilts to pour water. Water trickles down the dented vessel as it mirrors its history. The vase holds 3 tall red cedar branches that support a canopy of metal foliage. The foliage is designed to collect rain and magnify the volume flowing from the spout. Native plants grow in the garden at the sculpture’s base.

Noel Harding (1945-2016) was a renowned Canadian artist and urban designer known for his large scale public art projects found throughout the world. His practice focused on engaging how we navigate in public space. Harding, a member of the City of Toronto’s Art Committee for Public Places, is also a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art and the International Künstler Gremium in Berlin. He has taught at the Ontario College of Art and Design, the University of Guelph, the University of Windsor and at the Dutch Art Institute in the Netherlands. Harding’s work has been showcased in over 200 exhibitions, including institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. His works are also held within the permanent collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario. His last project, Green Corridor, was an international green bridge initiative that connected Canada and the United States via Windsor, Ontario. The purpose of the project was to help generate focus on public art in open spaces and the ideas of sustainable technologies. The 2km length corridor allowed visitors to experience urban landscape and to reimagine green spaces in concrete environments.