Calgary’s newest public art installation, commissioned by a Calfornia-based artist, has been unveiled and will sit outside the still-under-construction New Central Library in East Village.
The $2-million installation, called TRIO, and commissioned by artist Christian Moeller is a three-piece sculpture. Two of the pieces will sway back-and-forth like a pendulum together on the west side of the building, the third will stand alone on the east side.
According to its description, the piece is said to be “reminiscent of a cross between a hockey player and a ‘drinking bird.'”
Each of the three pieces stands at 10 metres tall. Their motion is driven primarily by gravity.
Moeller is also the artist behind an inside art installation called FISH, which is a piece comprised of more than 10,000 books, in 12 different colours, meant to portray a close-up of a fish’s face “endlessly watching the library’s visitors—a silent and friendly companion during hours of contemplation.”
The book wall measures about three metres tall and 14 metres wide and will be on the library’s third floor.
According to the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), the search for artwork to accompany the new library got underway in 2014 in cooperation with the City of Calgary’s Public Art Program.
The process was open to local and international artists, with a total of 239 possible pieces being submitted. The list was then narrowed down to 35 artists.
The process then moved to the request for proposals stage, which involved a Volunteer Art Committee that included a resident, an artist, a representative from the Alberta College of Art and Design, a Glenbow Museum curator, a Calgary Public Library representative and a representative from the Calgary Arts Development organization.
Five finalists were selected and then in 2015, Moeller was chosen to do both the outdoor and indoor art pieces.
“His colourful, captivating concepts bring a playfulness to the library experience–a delightful sense of arrival and wonder for all visitors to enjoy, especially children,” the CMLC said in a release.
WATCH: Exclusive sneak peek inside Calgary’s new Central Library
Installation of the pieces is planned to start August, with installation set to be finished to coordinate with the library’s grand opening in November. The CMLC said art installation ambassadors will be selected through public engagement through the summer to help with the installation of FISH.
Construction on the $245-million library got underway in August 2014.