Title

Bumble bee & Magnolia

Artist

Taylor, Doug

Date

2006

Medium

mixed media

Type

sculpture

Owner

Renaissance Towers Strata

Accession Number

NA

Location

Renaissance Towers

Category

Private Development Public Art

Collection

Public Art

Lat/Long

49.265350,-123.008134

View in Google Maps

http://www.google.com/maps?q=49.265350,-123.008134

To complement the Renaissance’s landscape and its central magnolia tree, Doug Taylor designed this mixed media sculpture of a bumble bee and a flower. A kinetic sculpture fashioned from sailcloth fabric, a rotary turbine, and thrust bearings, the Bumble bee & Magnolia is in constant movement.

Doug Taylor was born in Chilliwack, BC. Kinetic in nature, his public installation sculpture has focused largely on wind, water and solar powered features. Whimsical, folk art inspired elements are often signature to his work. (e.g. Khenko and Wind Swimmer). Addressing the global challenge of sustainability his current sculptures are "generating capital ” by selling excess electrical power back to BC Hydro. These energy systems also feature listening stations which help remind us of sounds that are ever present in the natural world, but often unnoticed (e.g. Seattle Center’s Bird Song Listening Station). The challenge is to integrate ecological, historical, social and aesthetic considerations, contextualizing them into the site specific values of place.