Rocky Ridge Recreation Facility, Calgary, AB, Canada, 2017

Artwork for the wetland at Rocky Ridge Recreation Facility consists of two rows of vertical posts topped with 102 wind vanes whose shape and color is loosely inspired by the Canadian Geese who inhabit the adjacent wetland.  The southward pointing V formed by the posts is derived from the form that flocks take when ascending and in flight.  The vanes are positioned on the poles so that the line formed by the lowest vanes points south to the position of the sun in the sky at noon on the Winter Solstice.  The wind vanes are mirrored on one side and painted on the other, creating varied experiences from opposite sides of the artwork.  Each wind vane rotates independently with the localized air current that is hitting it but as a flock they are always slowly migrating to point into the wind.  As the sun changes its position in relation to the artwork and the wind causes small movements, the prismatic beaks glint with iridescence and the mirror finish of the wings glows. The appearance of the artwork is always changing, depending on a combination of where the sky is in the sky, which direction the wind is blowing, and which way the mirrored faces are pointing.  Flock is a barometer of local conditions for those who observe it regularly.

Flock was commissioned by The City of Calgary Public Art Program and Fabricated by Silo Workshop, with prism production by Custom Edge.