Burlington Residents Invited to Share Feedback on Proposed Designs for Regal Road Bridge Public Art
*Please see a news release below issued by the City of Burlington.
Burlington, Ont. — Feb. 4, 2021 — The City of Burlington is commissioning an artist to create a public art piece for the Regal Road bridge. Residents are invited to share their thoughts on three finalists chosen by an independent jury. The three proposed designs can be viewed and commented on by logging into or joining the City’s engagement platform: www.getinvolvedburlington.ca/regalroadbridgepublicart.The comments received, along with the technical and detailed design proposals, will inform the jury’s final selection.
The artwork will be 10 laser-cut steel panels installed on the concrete sidewall of the bridge this summer. An independent jury reviewed 54 applications and selected three artists to develop detailed design plans.The jury chose:
- bau & cos, www.bauandcos.com
- Karen Ho Fatt Lee, www.karenhofatt.com
- Laura Wood & Dawn Tyrrell, laurawood.ca
Artwork LocationThe Regal Road Bridge crosses Tuck Creek and is located on Regal Road, between Oakwood Drive and Swinburne Road. The bridge was upgraded in 2019 as part of the City’s flood mitigation project. One artist will be commissioned to create a series of 10 unique laser cut steel panels to enhance the bridge. The panels will celebrate the community and/or natural environment surrounding Regal Road and Tuck Creek.Submit Feedback on Three Proposed DesignsBurlington residents are invited to review the three proposed designs and tell us what you think. These comments, along with the technical and detailed design proposals will help the jury make their final selection.Proposal #1bau & cosArtist StatementThrough changing seasons and everyday activities, the Bridge on the Tuck is the background, yet gateway to the community.From the bridge, we watch trucks and cars quickly swerving onto Regal Road. Evidently, the QEW spews into Walkers Line, and then trickles onto the bridge. Lateral to the driving, we watch guardians and toddlers strolling; students running home for lunch; and dogs walking with their owners, while small urban animals scurry away ahead of them.The catalyst for our concept comes from people watching on the bridge. Our proposed panels are silhouettes of children, adults, and animals in motion with their day-to-day activities.The artwork will promote three important aspects for the neigbourhood:By using silhouettes, this will inform the drivers that children and families are actively using the neighbourhood. The colour green guides the driver with caution on the road.Domestic and wildlife animals help thrive the ecosystem of Tuck Creek. Our purposed panels will stimulate explorative adventures with friends and families.Since there are physical relations between the silhouettes and community, this will be a fun, relatable and interactive piece for everyone.The bridge is a bearer of all stories for this growing community in Burlington. By capturing snippets of life on Regal Road, we hope our artwork develops into timeless illustrations for years to come.To learn more about bau & cos visit: www.bauandcos.comProposal #2Karen Ho Fatt LeeArtist StatementOur environment may be divided into three categories: the animal, vegetable and mineral. I envision the animal, vegetable and mineral of the surrounding area and creek to be showcased and highlighted by incorporating them into an abstracted, derivative design. Enlarged, macro views brings attention to what surrounds us in the air, earth and sky and what we take for granted. The “invisible” will be made visible.Burlington and its communities are known for its parks and green spaces and waterways. Tuck Creek runs below the bridge and will also serve as another point of inspiration, namely the aquatic and riparian habitat that can be found in and around it. Imagery would include native tree leaves, birds, geese, ducks, beaver, coyote, tadpoles, crayfish, minnows and dragonflies are but a few for example. Rocks and minerals would be indicated by structures that make up geologic forms. These animal, mineral, vegetable images are what we may encounter in and around the waters of the nearby stream (shown as ripples and riffles). The ripple (pools) and riffle (waves) effects of water will serve to frame and highlight these forms.Children and adults alike walking by will be intrigued by and discover what they had initially passed by as the imagery is now magnified.To learn more about Karen Ho Fatt Lee visit: www.karenhofatt.comProposal #3Laura Wood & Dawn TyrrellWe find trumpeter swans to be quite regal, graceful and elegant. For this piece on theRegal Road bridge, crossing Tuck Creek, we imagine a series of swans situated in flowing water. Both a beautiful and a befitting motif for this passageway. Swans carry symbolism of divination and balance, which is appropriate for this location, especially in respect to the city’s forecasting and re-balancing of nature by widening the creek, among other measures, to make way for projected annual flooding and fish migration. As waterfowl, swans belong in this wetland and are also relevant to the city of Burlington itself, which has repopulated a large colony of trumpeter swans, bringing the colony back from the brink of extinction.The swan, having a strong connection with water, speaks to fluidity, creativity and depth. These qualities have become particularly important over this past year, with the on-going global pandemic, where we all have had to quickly change and adapt to the challenges of this world-wide health crisis, and also, over the last several decades, in regards to climate change and increasing population and urbanization. The swan has managed to meet these challenges and now thrives here in Burlington. If anything can be a symbol to us in these times and for the future to come, let’s look to the swan as it faces its challenges with beauty and resilience.To learn more about Laura Wood & Dawn Tyrrell visit: https://laurawood.ca/Links and Resources:
--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist