Artquarium
Aquarium or Art Gallery?
The silverspotted sculpin and sea pens are going to have some competition. Not a competition for space or food, but a beauty competition. They are not the only things in the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre that will catch the eye with their graceful, alluring lines and original design. When they’re not looking at the animals, visitors are going to find some very striking artwork surrounding them.
The first piece of art encountered will be stunning as it hangs in the entrance window. When plans for a kelp aquarium proved to be unfeasible, a piece of artwork incorporating the image of kelp was suggested. Artist Rick Silas, of Silastial Glass was contracted to make the piece. Rick is a well-known local artist specializing in a technique for painting on glass. He also holds a patent for a technique which allows him to shatter and bend tempered glass at room temperature while maintaining its integrity. The piece for the centre will feature his special techniques to portray the fluid, organic, and dynamic image of kelp flowing in the current.
With a more traditional slant, Coast Salish artwork, by Charles Elliott, will be featured in the form of carvings. The designs have already been transferred to digital format to be used for print materials. Charles, who lives in Brentwood Bay, is from the Tsartlip First Nation, and has been carving ever since he could hold a knife. During his long career, he has carved several totems and designed numerous drawings. Charles says he is glad to be doing artwork that showcases the sea and Coast Salish artwork, because his nation and the sea are inseparable.
“The Salish Sea surrounds us. We use it for our highways, and our sources of food. We still define our boundaries by sea, and our traditional village sites are surrounded by the sea,” he says. Watch for his images of salmon, orca, rockfish, crabs, seabirds, anemones, and octopus around the centre.
The last artworks I mention are more subtle. In fact, most visitors won’t immediately view them as art, but will appreciate the atmosphere they create. James Bay artist, Sandra Ritter, was responsible for making our deep-sea elevator and some jetty pilings look very realistic. As the exhibit artist that worked on the Open Oceans exhibit at the Royal BC Museum, she’s a veteran of making things look like they belong in the ocean.
Finally there is the wallpaper. Yes, our wallpaper is art. Speedpro Signs of Sidney took a small 15 cm x 28 cm composite image and scaled it up to over four metres tall, a major feat in itself. After printing, they had to laminate the watery images on several wooden boards that would eventually be laid out like a three-dimensional jigsaw on the wall. However, without an extra large workspace they had to work on one panel at a time, all the time, ensuring that the images aligned correctly. The whole project took several months and hundreds of hours to get it just right. We think you’ll like the end result.
Many artists, many different mediums, all worth coming by for a look. Don’t forget to look at the critters though; they’re beautiful too.
Linda Funk is educator at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre.
