Looking for an outing that includes great art? Canada Line not only delivers you directly to the Vancouver Art Gallery at Vancouver City Centre Station and the Richmond Art Gallery at Brighouse Station, but also include numerous modern art instillations along the line offered free to the public. Stop and take in the art on your next trip or make a special Canada Line art excursion. It’s fun, beautiful, economical and environmentally friendly.
Canada Line Features Local Artists of All Stripes
Journey through the Canada Line system with your eyes open and you will find a wide range of art and artists from diverse cultural and artistic backgrounds. Often sarcastic, poignant and entertaining, these pieces represent the diversity of Canadians and comprise an important element in IntransitBC’s success in making Canada Line a fun and reliable transportation alternative.
Read below for more information on some of the featured art and artists, or print the Canada Line Art Scavenger Hunt (below) to take with you on a fun adventure on Canada Line as you attempt to find each piece of art. The first person to complete the Scavenger Hunt and submit the completed form to info@intransitbc.ca wins a free copy of Canada Line Adventures, a guide to the many offerings of Canada Line.
Featured Art, Artists & Station – What not to miss!
Art: Under Construction by Tammy Leigh (Waterfront Station)
With a combined creative photojournalistic approach and passion for people and culture, Tamara’s enthusiasm enables her to seize unique and captivating images of Canada Line’s construction. The seven photographs in the corridor connecting the Canada Line platform to Waterfront Station feature various tunnels and stations at different phases of Canada Line’s construction. It’s a great insight into this major city improvement. Catch this work now as it is a temporary exhibit and will be removed in the winter. If you really like what you see and want them to last, the pieces are for sale!
"Throughout my travels my passion was capturing the various cultures, experiences and scenery through the lens of my camera. Realizing that I could tell a story of a thousand words through one photograph inspired me to expand my photography skills." Tamara Leigh, 2010
Artist: Ruth Jones - Garden of Wind Blown Seeds, Vancouver City Centre Station
Ruth Jones is an artist who has worked in the mediums of paint and of fine hand woven tapestry for more than 25 years. Vancouver based, Ruth’s work is on display locally in places such the Museum of Anthropology and nationally at the Governor-General's residence in Ottawa. A weaver steeped in the Aubusson tradition of France, Ruth feels a bond with weavers of all nations. "They look at me as someone who is practicing a craft that is part of their tradition as well."
The exemplary ‘Garden of Wind Blown Seeds’ depicts a tapestry that was woven ‘blind’ (from the back), while the weaver referred to the reverse working drawing on the left. When the work was finished, the drawing was peeled back to reveal the tapestry for the first time. The composition here depicts this moment of discovery. This unique piece allows you an insight into the artist process. By viewing the original sketch and notes alongside the final product we are more fully able to understand the vision, process and final product.
Station: Vancouver City Centre
Three distinct art installations mark Vancouver City Centre Station as Vancouver art hub, just moments from the Vancouver Art Gallery and numerous other galleries throughout the downtown core.
Above ground, visit ‘Artificial Rock #143’ by Zhan Wang and ‘5’ by Paul Wong. Both these pieces leave you asking more questions than you started with and are well worth a visit. ‘Artificial Rock #143’, located on Granville St near the corner of Georgia St, is a reflective stainless steel rock literally and metaphorically represents the past and future, tradition and transition of a nation and people into modernity. While those motifs may not be obvious to all observers, the reflections of people and buildings on the rock make the piece worth viewing. It was commissioned as part the Vancouver’s Biennale.
In ‘5’, found in the plaza to the West of the station, Wong created five unique productions taking place over five consecutive weekends to take the public on extraordinary journeys in real, invented and imagined places. ‘5’ was commissioned by the City of Vancouver through its Mapping and Marking Artist-Initiated Projects for Vancouver 2010. " [Art] is not just based strictly on visual art history and history of painting and Eurocentricity. It’s not just about commercial culture and television. It’s not just about pop…" Paul Wong, 2007
As you enter or exit the station, above the stairwell don’t miss ‘Garden of Wind Blown Seeds’ by Ruth Jones (see above).
Canada Line Art Scavenger Hunt
Supplies Needed: Digital Camera, Pen or Pencil, Worksheet
Complete each of the following:
1) Roundhouse Station:
a) ‘Joe Sola is Making Art’ by Joe Sola
According to the piece, who is not making art? __________________________
b) ‘Equestrian Monument’ by David Robinson
i) What is the rider wearing? _________________________________________
ii) In your own words please describe the expression on the face of the:
Horse:___________________________________________________________
Rider:___________________________________________________________
2) Waterfront Station:
a) ‘Under Construction’ by Tamara Leigh
Examining the tunnels in the photos how many pictures feature tunnels that are:
Square ________________ (These are cut and cover tunnels)
Tubular _______________ (These are bored tunnels)
3) Vancouver City Centre Station
a) ‘5’ by Pail Wong
How many hands appear in this piece of art? ___________________
b) Artificial Rock #143
In 3 words, describe your reflection in the rock. __________________________________________
c) Garden on Wind Blown Seeds
What words are written on the mountains on the left side of the piece? _________________________
4) Take a photo of yourself in the following locations:
a) Olympic Village Station: Sitting on ‘Le Blanc’ by Marie Khouri, the white artistic bench in front of the station
b) King Edward Station: Looking up at the piece “Garlands’ by Paul Wong, hanging as you descend into the station.
c) Marine Drive Station: With the sculpture you believe represents Ascension, in the piece ‘Anticipation Perfection Ascension’ by Philippe Sokazo
