The City of Vancouver has unveiled a massive new art installation that’s been nearly a decade in the making.
Dubbed “Home + Away,” the 17-metre (50 foot) tall artwork takes the form of a slice of stadium bleachers.
The work overlooks the historic Empire Fields in East Vancouver’s Hastings Park. The fields are the site of the former Empire Stadium, once the home of the BC Lions and a venue that hosted global acts including The Beatles.
The piece was created by Seattle-based artists Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo.
“It’s wonderful to see this piece realized within the context of such a well-used public space,” Han said.
“Home + Away was inspired directly by the site history of spectatorship, and we hope it will connect Hastings Park users to that history and the majestic views of the environment for many decades to come,” Mihalyo.
The installation is interactive and is designed to be climbed and used as seating. It also offers spectacular views.
It includes 16 rows of seating and can support 49 people.
Originally approved in 2015 with a budget of $450,000, work on the piece faced a variety of challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues.
It was ultimately completed at the cost of $640,000 and with design changes that eliminated the distinctive V-shaped yellow and blue ‘home’ and ‘away’ sections in the original design.