Burnaby's new public art paints a portrait of the region's roots

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By Holly Mckenzie-Sutter

The City of Burnaby’s latest public-art piece pays homage some of the region’s oldest residents: Douglas fir trees.
Old Column, a sculpture by Seattle-based artists Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo, adorns the sidewalk outside Boffo Developments’ new Modello building, a highrise that will house 165 apartments as well as offices and food services.  Unveiled at a public ceremony on Wednesday (June 28), the piece stands as an entranceway to the Beresford Art Walk, a stretch street space that will eventually decorate Beresford Street from Willingdon to McKay Avenue with installation art pieces, including an screen projecting digital artworks that will be visible from the SkyTrain.   
Old Column is made from aluminum and stainless steel wiring and stands 25 feet tall and 12 feet wide. The creation is designed to resemble the molecular structure of the Douglas fir trees that populate the area, including Burnaby’s Central Park just across the street.  
Speaking at the ceremony, Mihalyo pointed out the soft edges of the piece, intended for the members of the public to touch. Mihalyo also pointed the 24-carat gold casings that cover some of the tree’s wires, giving the its “bark” an extra sparkle in the sunlight.  The entire structure took nine months to complete with the help of the artists’ team back in Seattle.
Han spoke to the Straight after the ceremony about the decision to honour the development of a new residential block with a public art piece that reminds people of the necessary cohabitation between humans and nature.
“There’s a huge, growing population, but it’s about making room for each other and being mindful of that,” said Han. “Development needs to happen, people need somewhere to live, but there needs to be a coexistence.”

Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan addressed the crowd about his commitment to Burnaby’s public=art infrastructure, expressing hopes that Old Column, and subsequent pieces along the Beresford Art Walk, will draw people to the area from across Metro Vancouver.
“Art should be part of every day life, people should be able to see it every time they walk down the street,” said Corrigan.  
Ellen van Eijnsbergen, curator of the Burnaby Art Gallery, spoke to the Straight about her excitement at seeing Old Column finally revealed to the public, having been with the process since the proposal period started over two years ago. Han and Mihalyo, both co-founders of Lead Pencil Studios, were chosen from over two-dozen applicants based on their previous work and the strength of their site-specific proposal.
Although the art walk is currently under construction, van Eijnsbergen praised the city for its collaboration with developers like Boffo and the arts community when planning urban design of the area. She echoed mayor Corrigan’s sentiment that over the next year or so, the art walk will be a major attraction and source of pride for Burnaby. 
“When it’s done it’s going to be a place where people will come and sit, enjoy, and talk about the art. It’s going to be a place to see,” said van Eijnsbergen.
Han and Mihalyo both reside in Seattle, but Han said whenever she visits Vancouver, she’s struck by areas like Stanley Park that showcase the city’s preservation of the natural world that surrounds it. Han hopes that her art can in some way remind people to respect of those essential green spaces. 
“It’s something that once you give it away, you can never get it back.” 

Original source: Georgia Straight
Read original article here.