The City of Calgary Public Art Program installs new public art piece for the Tuscany LRT Station
Today, Calgary’s newest public art piece roger that, will begin installation at the Tuscany LRT Station. Canadian artist, Bill Pechet, will be onsite to help oversee the installation, which will take approximately three weeks.
"Until recently, the neighbourhoods of Tuscany and Rocky Ridge were separated by Crowchild Trail. But now, thanks to the new LRT station, we have a bridge between these communities,” says Pechet. “roger that celebrates this conjoining by being an artwork which is shared by both sides, like two neighbours chatting over a fence. It is an invitation to experience movement and perception from multiple vantage points, through all seasons and times of day. The title of the work is a thank-you to the great physicist and philosopher, Roger Penrose, whose geometries were adopted for the work. It also means 'message received'.”
For this permanent piece, Pechet has designed an impressive large-scale artwork comprised of two, 12 metre-high sculptures, situated on either side of Crowchild Trail. It incorporates the art experience within the communities of Tuscany on one side and Rocky Ridge and Royal Oak on the other. The artwork slowly reveals itself as a pair of radiant constellations.
Yellow by day, and glowing at night, roger that provides a beacon of warmth on cold commuter evenings and an experience of discovery for all who encounter it.
“This project is a great example of an artist and community volunteers working together to create something special, which increases the enjoyment of the site for both transit users and passing motorists,” said Mac Logan, general manager of Transportation at The City.
The piece was commissioned as part of the Tuscany LRT Station capital project. The selection panel that chose the work was composed of six voting members including two members of the local community. In selecting Pechet as the successful artist, the panel noted his demonstrated excellence of past work, his interest with integrating the community into his conceptual designs, his understanding of transit and its function, and the degree to which his artworks fulfil the goals and intentions of the given project.
The installation will not affect residents’ daily commute and The City is looking forward to the public launch for the piece with details to be confirmed after the installation is complete.
For more information, visit the Tuscany LRT Public Art Project page or contact 311.