Five distinct sculptures are permanently on display throughout the Richcraft Recreation Complex - Kanata and its grounds:
A Flat and a Box
A Flat and a Box has two main components: a flat area and a rectangular box. Skaters use the sculpture for many different tricks and approaches – the design accommodates beginner to expert skaters.
Artists Alisdair MacRae and Negar Seyfollahy worked directly with skaters, the Ottawa Skateboard Community Association and New Line Skateparks Inc. to design the sculpture. Dimensions and materials were influenced by these key groups. A Flat and a Box and the skate plaza opened to the public in July 2014.
Chase
Chase is a sculptural installation in bronze, mapping the trail of a red fox chasing a ball. Chase captures the animal in gestural movements as though stopped in motion, offering the viewer a sustained gaze of something that usually unfolds too fast for the human eye to perceive.
Chase conveys athletic grace and beauty rooted in our fluid and ever changing connection to the natural world. This artwork encourages a closer and more active connection to art, animals, activity and our shared environments through the development of an ongoing interactive relationship with the piece.
Robertson and Williams use conceptual and visual elements to provide an energizing and lyrical addition to the space as it draws on the regional environment and the Complex's proximity to Trillium Woods.
The Gauntlet
The Gauntlet is a large limestone carving made to resemble a hockey glove. The sculpture rests on a rectangular cement base. This sculpture is a result of a fundraising initiative by Councillor Wilkinson to create a sculpture park at the Richcraft Recreation Complex. The donor for this portion of the sculpture park is the Taggart Parkes Foundation.
Silver Line
Silver Line draws inspiration from the patterned choreography of 'Cloud Hands', a t'ai chi movement which incorporates a rolling, sweeping motion of the arms and hands in a graceful gesture. The artwork is suggestive of weather phenomena, and makes reference to the human connection to nature that is expressed through recreational activity.
Silver Line is a three part installation consisting of a pair of binoculars, a cloud fabricated in aluminum and stainless steel, and a poised bronze female figure. The three sculptural components come into alignment when viewed through the binoculars. The cloud appears to float at the figure's fingertips, enveloped by the steam released from the building ventilation chimneys.
Skiff
This sculptural installation was inspired by skiffs - long, slender boats with hulls so elongated that rowers balance themselves as though on a high wire. They speed forward so fast they barely touch the surface of the water. The long oars seem to walk on the water like the legs of a strange insect. Suspended above our heads in the lobby of the recreation complex, the two sculptures move across the space, evoking thoughts of water bugs and ying shes.
The artist was born on a small island and spent his childhood by the sea. The maritime landscape and culture forged his view of the world and continue to serve as the inspiration for his artistic practice.
Skiff was produced in collaboration with Forge ornementale Lapointe.