Arctic Mark in Stanley Park

Anyone who lives in (or has visited) the GVA (Greater Vancouver Area) will recognize this sculpture in Vanier Park in the Kitsilano neighbourhood of Vancouver. If not, you may recall this photo as the cover of my Photo Gallery from last July. Entitled "Gate to the Northwest Passage," this sculpture stands near the entrance to False Creek, and is hard to miss. I took this photo last summer because I liked the way the sculpture framed the sunset. Reading the plaque afterwards, I was interested to discover the title, which was one of many such reminders of the north that I've encountered since moving here to the west coast last June. (By far the most ubiquitous of these would have to be the Vancouver 2010 Olympics inukshuk symbol.)  Intrigued by the title, I wanted to find out more about this sculpture, and looked for information on the internet. I found an entry under "Vancouver Public Art," which I thought was worth reprinting here: 

[Public Art Registry:

"Gate to the Northwest Passage" by Alan Chung Hung

NEIGHBOURHOOD: Kitsilano
OWNERSHIP: City of Vancouver
TYPE: Sculpture
STATUS: Existing

Site Name:     Vanier Park
Address:     1100 Chestnut St.
Location on Site of Work:
N.E. of Centennial Museum, along waterfront
Installed:     1980
Primary Materials:
Corten steel
Sponsoring Organization:
Parks Canada
Donor:
Historic Sites and Monuments, Parks Canada
   
Description of Work:
The large steel sculpture is set on a 26' x 28' plaza of paving stones. The sculpture consists of a 15' square of corten steel. Each side of the square is 15' long by 3' high by 3' wide. The bottom side appears to be cut apart in the middle and the two parts wrenched apart to form a gate or arch. The corten steel is designed so that the surface rust forms a protective coating. There was some adverse reaction from Kits Point residents when the work was installed. Michael Duncan, Chief Curator of the Maritime Museum at the time, called it "a bloody monstrosity." An article in the Globe and Mail teased that it could be "the world's largest paper clip." The article (Mar3, 1981) also quoted from a city planning study which read: "Vancouver's peerless natural setting is a permanent gift from nature. So massive and close are the North Shore mountains that no amount of human folly can ever obliterate them." But the controversy soon abated and the piece has weathered time and opinion. It was vandalized on July 4th, 1988, when a field of white dots were painted on its surfaces -probably as an art "intervention". The dots were soon removed. Since then, the "Gate to the Northwest Passage" has become a familiar landmark, an important place marker which stands guard at the entrance to False Creek. The area around the site is a favorite for kite flyers.

Artist Statement:

The parameters for the juried competition operated by Parks Canada were to create "a monument in Vanier Park to commemorate Captain George Vancouver," the first European to sail into Burrard Inlet, in 1792. The competition guidelines (1979) specified a sculpture made of permanent materials, "not wood," and that it should not be in the likeness of a man. The form of the work takes off from two 18th century navigational instruments: the plane table and David's quadrant. Chung Hung said that, "The objective of the sculpture is to create a symbolic image with definite visual expression, awakening an awareness in Captain George Vancouver's contribution to the world, his remarkable and meticulous surveys which included the north Pacific coast." The piece frames English Bay from the north view and the Centennial Museum from the south view. The opportunity for a sculpture was offered to the city by Hugh Faulkner, Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs at the time. The project was recommended by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. A five-member jury headed by former parks superintendent Stuart Lefeaux selected Alan Chung Hung's proposal from a local competition and the Parks Board approved the choice. Gordon Smith, a member of the selection panel, said that "If people think Hung's sculpture is a poor catch, they should have seen the ones that got away." It was originally to be sited at Ferguson Point in Stanley Park.]

There are many nuggets which I found interesting or noteworthy in this entry. The controversy at the time is certainly understandable; this sculpture seems designed to provoke strong reactions. I especially enjoyed learning about the vandalism/"art intervention" involving white dots painted all over it. Aside from the Globe and Mail's justifiably glib judgement, I was amazed to read the comment from panel member Gordon Smith. Smith is arguing in essence that the public should put aside their objections and be happy with this sculpture mainly because the other contenders were much worse!!  It does seem difficult to argue with that  kind of logic, doesn't it?

As always with these issues, posterity will be the final arbiter. Is "Gate to the Northwest Passage" a bloody monstrosity, a poor catch, the world's largest paper clip, or "a symbolic image with definite visual expression, awakening an awareness in Captain George Vancouver's contribution to the world, his remarkable and meticulous surveys which included the north Pacific coast"?  Whatever your own view might be on this question, it undoubtedly makes a nice frame for an English Bay sunset in July, or a north shore mountainscape on a sunny day, or any other breathtaking view you might want to capture from this hallowed ground in downtown Vancouver.

  [This photo was taken by Sylvia Grace Borda, and can be found on the City of Vancouver's Public Art Registry website: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/publicart_wa/jpg/110.jpg]