As the weather outside becomes less inviting, walking around the city will inevitably change. You may be less tempted to linger. The meaning of this word, to stay in a place longer than necessary because you simply don’t want to leave, is often done effortlessly when a good sculpture or a powerful installation engages us.
Outdoor art can easily be dismissed as static. And yet, there is a discourse between the work, the artist and the viewer that is dynamic. Unique, not just for between viewers—everyone sees differently—but unique every single time an individual comes back to the piece.
As I change, I see a particular work differently. Every time I walk the streets of the Byward Market, my interaction with the below pieces is transformed.
1. Personnages (People) by Louis Archambault (pictured above)
This is by far my favourite sculpture installation in the capital region—you could even call it a sculpture garden since it literally fills the green space between the Museum of Civilization’s two main buildings. It is the reason I had to add Hull to my Market edition of best outdoor art. As the French say, it is an “incontournable,” a must-see, if you haven’t already. “People” is an important work of art in Canadian history and a testament to the modern and innovative spirit of Expo 67. Made up of 11 sculptures, “People” includes, “Sun,” “Moon,” “Pregnant Woman,” “Poet,” “Woman,” “Family,” “Philosopher,” “Angel,” and “Three Kids.” These are the People of Archambault, the archetypes of society. Notice what is absent. “Politician,” “CEO” or “Banker,” to name just a few social agents that are seemingly valued by society, are not included by the artist. One has to wonder at his choice; in particular, of Sun, Moon and Angel, in the context of a work he titles People. This piece of art never ceases to challenge me, viscerally and intellectually.
2. Les chats de Gouttière (Alley Cats) by Jean-Yves Vigneau
Nestled in the window frames and on the rooftop of a public Parking Lot on Murray Street between Cumberland and Dalhousie, these fourteen felines are often overlooked. It’s strange to think I’ve lived in Ottawa for over a decade now and I only noticed them a few summers ago. Vigneau is a polyvalent artist from the Iles-de-la-Madeleine and much of his work centres around the theme of islands, so Alley Cats seems to stands apart of the sculptures, installations, photographs, videos and drawings that one typically associates with his work. Nonetheless, it’s an honour to be able to see his work just by walking down Murray Street. Very sensitive to place, and often using myth mixed with his own personal story, I wonder how Alley Cats speaks to his process?
3. McClintock’s Dream by Victor Tolgesy
The first time I saw this papier maché, wood and acrylic paint installation suspended at the mezzanine level of the Byward Market Building, I disliked it. I found it naïve and couldn’t see its beauty. And of course, as I changed and time passed, my way of seeing the work was completely transformed. Tolgesy, a Hungarian-born sculptor was just starting to leave behind abstract art when he produced this piece in 1978, two years before his death. There’s something playful, youthful and wonderful about “McClintick’s Dream” that I wasn’t open to seeing when my eyes first landed on it. His pervious sculptures were more akin to Archibald’s dramatic use of line and symmetry and had a definite modernist aesthetic, very much unlike the voluptuous and definitely more whimsical.
4. Unknown street artist
I have no idea who puts up these happy faced stickers with hearts (and sometimes tears) on the garbage, lampposts and other overlooked streetscapes, but I enjoy the pop-art street art embellishing of the city. They were more prominent—or the artist was more prolific—a few years ago. In fact, street art is almost completely absent in the Market and I wonder why? Have we lost all our Banskys or are our bylaws so intolerant that the risk isn’t worth it? Or maybe the city is too efficient at cleaning up graffiti and street art that this discourages artists from moving forward. In its “Working together to stop graffiti” campaign, the City police department clearly states that graffiti is a crime, going so far as to state that it isn’t a “victimless crime.” Obviously, hate graffiti and other inappropriate tagging can be destructive, but by and large, the City hasn’t understood the value of street art. In large cities such as Paris or London, certain artists have become heritage. The City of Ottawa claims that street art discourages business, affects a sense of safety, and decreases aesthetic appeal, amongst other things. Yet, Bansky’s work in NYC has done the exact opposite—it has inspired, it has brought business, it has created beauty—and even more. If we don’t allow our graffiti and street artists some space, how will they grow to become the next Banskys?
5. Maman by Louise Bourgeois
Photo by Gronkca on Flickr.
How could I not mention the mother of all sculptures in Ottawa? How could this work not impact the way one walks in the city? Its sheer size (30 ft high, 33 wide) changes our relationship with the work. Many people have already talked about the symbolic importance of the spider. I’ll abbreviate: the artist mother, Josephine, repaired tapestries in her father’s textile workshop. She died when Louise was 21, adding to the suffering of the young woman who endured her father’s adultery with her live in tutor. As Bourgeois states, the sculpture is an “ode to [her] mother.” It represents weaving and protection, among other themes. But what strike me that to stand under it is to be inside a work of architecture, a kind of open house concept. And then to try to decipher the meaning behind the 26 marble eggs that sit in its bronze belly.
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