The Spirit of Sport to be portrayed as public art at three community locations - help choose what should go where.

artsorange 100x100By Staff

February 23, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Spirit of Sport public art project is now at the point where the city wants to know what people think of the ideas that have come from the three short-listed artists. Their work is now on display at Brant Hills Community Centre, Nelson Recreation Centre and Mainway Recreation Centre until Friday, March 3, 2017.

About Spirit of Sport Public Art Project
The Spirit of Sport public art project aims to celebrate Burlington’s long history of sports excellence, on both an amateur and professional level. A series of three small-to-medium-scale, exterior public artworks will be installed Mainway Recreation Centre, Nelson Park and Brant Hills Park. These locations were selected as they represent a broad range of types of sport as well as different levels of play, ranging from children and youth to competitive play.

A community jury has selected artists: Blue Republic, Ken Hall and Tamara Kwapich to move forward to the short-list and develop preliminary design concepts. The information collected from residents will inform the jury’s final decision.

Each artist has developed a proposal for each of the three locations.

Artist: Blue Republic
Title: Stuff of Dreams
Artist’s Description: The goal of our design is to create a highly visible, playful, landmark series of works about inclusiveness, togetherness, play and fearlessness. Our work is addressed to the local community and especially young people. The look comes from graffiti and street art and children’s drawings. Here, ideas are often given a surprising visual creation, not stopped by self-consciousness. Our three projects speak to the act of thinking, or dreaming, about the sports we love. Our heads are ‘full’ of the game, of being outdoors and of playing together.

Artist: Ken Hall
Title: Spirit of Sport
Artist’s Description: The fluttering ribbon is a perfect form for these sculptures, having long been associated with sporting excellence; whether being used to support medals won at competitive events, or as a means of celebrating participation in community activities.

Artist: Tamara Kwapich
Title: Moments Great and Small
Artist’s Description: The mural “Pick up Game on Sunfish Pond,” proposed for Nelson Recreation Centre, speaks to those small moments spent with family and friends—moments that are unorganized, spontaneous and joyful.

“Up and Away,” proposed for Mainway Recreation Centre, pays homage to the community of people who support and lift each other up to reach their goals.

“What Dreams May Come,” proposed for Brant Hills Community Centre, represents the history of sport in Burlington and the heroes that inspire future athletes.

BurlingtonPublicArt.com.

Concept #1
Blue Republic, Stuff of Dreams

Blue Republic #1

Blue Republic # 1

Blue Republic # 2

Blue Republic # 2 – Mainway

Blue Republic # 3

Blue Republic # 3

Sport is the most democratic activity in the world. While we all know of the great iconic sports figures found everywhere in the media, the three fields and facilities in Burlington where these art projects will be located are here for all to enjoy.

Whether it’s a father coaching his kids, two girlfriends running together or a group playing wheelchair basketball, the camaraderie and sheer joy that come from improving our skills belongs to everyone. At a time when most of us spend long hours sitting in front of a computer, facilities like these are vital in maintaining life’s balance.

The goal of our design is to create a highly visible, playful, landmark series of works about inclusiveness, togetherness, play and fearlessness. Our work is addressed to the local community and especially young people. The look comes from graffiti, street art and children’s drawings – where an idea is not hindered by self-consciousness.

We chose to position the artwork on buildings, crowning each one at the entrance. This will make the artwork resistant to theft and vandalism. Our three projects speak to the act of thinking, or dreaming, about the sports we love.

Our heads are ‘full’ of the game, of being outdoors and of playing together.

Concept #2
Ken Hall, Spirit of Sport

Hall # 1 Ribbon on building

Ken Hall # 1 Spirit of Sport – Mainway

Hall # 2 ribbon - Mainway

Ken Hall Spirit of Sport # 2

Hall # 3 ribbon on grass

Ken Hall – spirit of Sport # 3

To honour this Spirit of Sport, red, ribbon-like sculptures will celebrate active living and inclusive community particip-ation, while engaging and welcoming the public to the recreation centres.

Celebrating the combination of balance, strength and co-ordin-ation required in sports, the red ribbon sculptures are an explora-tion of space and movement.

The red ribbons reflect key components of many activities, such as the flowing rhythm of gym-nastics; the curved, red stitching on a baseball; the goal line in hockey; and the finish line in track and field, among others.

The fluttering ribbon is a perfect form for these sculptures, having long been associated with sporting excellence; whether being used to support medals won at competitive events, or as a means of celebrating particip-ation in community activities, such as awareness walks for issues like breast cancer.

The association with medals is particularly relevant given the City of Burlington’s rich history of sporting innovation, which includes: Dr. Frank Hayden, founder of the International Special Olympics Movement; Melville Marks Robinson, founder of the Common-wealth Games; along with numerous Olympic athletes and coaches, including Melanie Booth (soccer) and Angela Coughlan (swimming).

The rolling ribbon also celebrates a heart-healthy, active lifestyle, calling to mind the visualization of a heartbeat on an EKG machine.

The red colour represents the circulation of oxygenated blood, reminding us that regardless of age, ethnicity or gender, we all benefit from active physical and social participation.

Concept #3
Tamara Kwapich, Moments Great and Small

Kwapich # 2 Nelson

Pick up game on a sunfish pond is Kwapich’s proposal for the Nelson recreation centre. Kwapich # 2

Kwapich # 3 Mainway

“Up and Away,” proposed for Mainway Recreation Centre, pays homage to the community of people who support and lift each other up to reach their goals. Kwapich # 3

Kwapich # 1 Brant Hills

“What Dreams May Come,” proposed for Brant Hills Community Centre, represents the history of sport in Burlington and the heroes that inspire future athletes. Kwapich #1

What is the Spirit of Sport? It is the expression of our highest aspirations. It is the moments, both great and small, lived on the fields, ponds, courts, and in the minds of our community. We can participate at any level and feel the exhilaration of winning and the humility of losing a well-played game.

Our emotions rise and fall as parents on the sidelines and as city or nation watching our represent-ative athletes.

In Burlington, we are fortunate to have many opportun-ities to pursue sport as play—non-competitively, competitively and professionally. It is in these moments, big and small, when we use our bodies, minds and our hearts, that we are part of something larger: the universal joy of movement and striving for something better.

It is with profound gratefulness as a Burlington resident, artist and “sport mom” that I propose these three mural projects that represent the Spirit of Sport, from the small moments found in our own backyards to the world stage.

The mural “Pick up game on Sunfish Pond,” proposed for Nelson Recreation Centre, speaks to those small moments spent with family and friends—moments that are unorganized, spontan-eous and joyful.

“Up and Away,” proposed for Mainway Recreation Centre, pays homage to the community of people who support and lift each other up to reach their goals.

“What Dreams May Come,” proposed for Brant Hills Community Centre, represents the history of sport in Burlington and the heroes that inspire future athletes.

Sport is about competition. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Often the effort put forth determines the outcome, but sometimes not. Sport is also about play—the pure joy of physical exertion and the pure beauty of sportsmanship. We are not all Olympic athletes but we can all be, in some way, as great as they are. What we learn in pursuit of the Spirit of Sport strengthens not only our bodies but also our minds and our community.

Share Your Feedback!

Unfortunately, the people at Cobalt Connect facilitating this selection process have done a terrible job of allowing the public to actually make a selection.  And the Manager of culture affairs at city hall hasn’t done much better.

If you want to let the city know which piece of public art should be at which location you need to do the following.

Provide you email address, and your postal code.

Then indicate your choice for Mainway,Nelson and Brant Hills.

Something like this should do it (this is just an example)

We have created a number for each piece of art which you can use to indicate your choice – hopefully the people getting your responses will figure out what you are trying to say.  They don’t make it easy.

pepper@hwkp.com

L9H 6e6

Nelson – Kwapich # 2

Mainway Kwapich # 3

Brant Hills Hall #3

 

Send your selection to both Cobalt Connects at

info@cobaltconnects.ca

and city hall at

Angela.paparizo@burlington.ca

 

Return to the Front page
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

1 comment to The Spirit of Sport to be portrayed as public art at three community locations – help choose what should go where.

  • tenni

    I could be wrong but after reading the direction on the public art web page I think that the public is to comment not on the specific images but the concept ideas and general creative/technical skills of an artist. The jury will take the comments from the public and then do a final section. The public does not pick a work and expect it to be created exactly as shown. The public is picking the artist.

    Check https://burlingtonpublicart.com/2017/02/15/tell-us-what-you-think/

    “Please review the three proposed designs and tell us what you think. Your comments, along with the technical and design proposals will inform the jury’s final selection.
    An email comment form can be found at the bottom of this page.  Comments can also be submitted in person at Mainway, Nelson and Brant Hills from February 17 – March 3.”