First built in 1954, dismantled in 1993, then temporarily back up in 2010, bleachers — seating for at least 150 spectators — could again rise over Empire Field in the form of a permanent, head-turning art installation.
Before that happens, neighbours of the Hastings Street park will have the chance to learn more about Home and Away, a four-storey structure in the shape of a massive “V” that pays homage to the park’s iconic sporting history and may include a slide in reference to a temporary wooden ski jump, the highest free-standing one of its kind, built in 1958 for a three-day tournament.
The park board decided Monday to defer approval of the $450,000 installation in order to tell the public more about it.
“If we approve the installation, I think many people in the city would find some trouble with that process,” said Green Party commissioner Stuart Mackinnon, who questioned the location of the structure because it blocked views of the North Shore mountains.
Park board staff have received 10 letters about Home and Away. Additional letters, many decrying the cost of the project, were also sent to individual commissioners.
Designed by U.S. firm Lead Pencil Studio, Home and Away was unanimously approved by the city’s Public Art Program, including its committee of architects, artists and design professionals.
The project is funded by the city’s current and previous capital plans. The park board was tasked with rubber-stamping its location at Hastings Park, not commenting on the design or cost of the project. The colours — shown as vibrant blue and yellow in a staff report to the board — are not fixed, nor is the material of the structure.
The long-term plan for Hastings Park always included public art, a process which set in motion two years’ worth of interviews, proposals and committee discussions. The $450,000 price tag of Home and Away is comparable to the gigantic birds installed at the Olympic Village. The Komagata Maru memorial in Coal Harbour cost $750,000.
Architect Joost Bakker called Home and Away a “striking visual piece” and a significant installation in elevating the city’s reputation for bold, public art. Bakker, also a member of the Public Art Program, said the scale of the structure fits in the 13-hectare park overlooked by the TransCanada Highway to the east and Playland’s wooden rollercoaster to the west.
NPA commissioners Sarah Kirby-Yung and John Coupar said they liked the installation and echoed each other in saying they’re not art critics, but nonetheless proposed the park board defer until July.
“When I first saw it, I did do the ‘Oooo,’” said Kirby-Yung. “It’s bold, engaging, striking and it’s grown on me. But this is not what I like, this is about the public having the opportunity to get some good information on a significant piece that could be there for a long time. I don’t see a rush.”
Park board staff said deferral means risking the artists’ availability to complete the project.
Vision’s Catherine Evans, who voted against deferral, argued the installation should not be stalled for an event that servers only to inform, not consult, the public.
“I don’t want us giving people the wrong impression that they somehow have a vote on public art and whether or not it’s appropriate,” said Evans, who described Home and Away as “not subtle.”
“One of the important things artists do is they challenge us.”
@MHStewart
