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Originally Posted by kgc087
SO that time again for Nuit Blanche is arriving in Toronto and my school had the opportunity to host a lecture by one of the participating artist groups. United Visual Artists is a group of individuals based out of London, England who create interactive pieces based on light, sound, human interaction and sensory experience. I can't wait to see their installation in the Eaton centre but this really got me thinking about Saskatoon and its art scene. One thing I always found so prominent within the city was the amount of public sculpture present. I think the city should push this further and create a network of art and connect them in unique varying ways using the ground, sides of buildings, air etc. Essentially a network of trails would be created throughout say the downtown, riversdale and broadway area showcasing this art.
Another side thought is it would be VERY cool to have an installation done in the atrium of midtown plaza. It would certainly secure it as the main shopping centre within the province! Just wanted to stimulate some thought and see what everyone has to say to an idea like this.
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Stimulated! I remember one of the projects for an urban planning course I took was to fill a sketchbook with observations about our downtown. One of the things I talked about was the importance of gateways and other significant focal points in creating a sense of place. For example, I argued that the sculpture at the base of the University Bridge does a good job of anchoring the NE gateway of downtown (so too does the awesome feeling of going under the arch of the bridge while on Spadina). It's large enough to be visible to the traffic streaming around it, and I know I always slow down just a little bit to look at it.
As for more pedestrian-scale installations/focal points, the Vimy bandshell is a fantastic focal point for 20th Street, as is Prairie Wind for 2nd Avenue. I think the city is becoming more cognizant of creating gateways (there is a small plaza in the plan for the corner of Idylwyld and the 25th Street extension), and I think they've also done a good job on creating smaller installations to create a unique and engaging space (the double-headed musk ox on 20th and the blue piano formerly outside the Bessborough come to mind). I'd like to see something similar to what you suggest kgc... maybe an interactive site or app can be created to show the various installations across the city... you'd think that such a map might link these installations along corridors like Broadway, 20th, and downtown streets too since that's where most of them are located. Before you know it, you'd have a little local sculpture network! I think this idea is being tossed about for the SCYAP transformer boxes (which happens to be another thing I love about the city).
One more thing I'd like to see is to extend the reach of the public sculpture outwards... further down Broadway and 20th, 2nd Avenue to 33rd, along 33rd, Idylwyld, College, Cumberland. Also, put public art outside high schools. I think I'm done now.
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