|
The Inner Harbour Public Art Ideas Competition Toronto's Inner Harbour has always been one of the City's most prominent natural features. In recognition of its historical significance and ongoing contribution to Toronto's self image, a national two stage open public art competition was held in 1993 to generate public art ideas for the Inner Harbour. The lake surface and shoreline stretching around the Inner Harbour constituted the competition site. The competition guidelines provided the opportunity for competitors to address one or more public sites around the Inner Harbour in addition to the Harbour Square Park Western Garden site. This competition was organized and administered by the City of Toronto Planning and Development Department and the Public Art Commission with the support of Graywood Developments Ltd. Approximately 145 proposals were entered in the Inner Harbour Public Art Ideas Competition from which the Jury awarded t-Zero Design's proposal the first place designation. t-Zero Design's winning proposal consisted of four large scale analogue referents: a water clock to be moored off Centre Island; a sextant observation tower for location at the Western Entrance; a Ward's Island wind tower located adjacent the Eastern Gap; and a sundial fountain for sitting in the Western Garden extension of Harbour Square Park. If fully realized these four elements will provide the public with a heightened opportunity to contemplate the intricate relationship between city form and natural process. Located at southern end of the Western Garden the constructed "Sundial" folly, Instrument No.1, consists of a six meter concrete sphere, architectural screen, pool, and all winter fountain designed to make use of the "lake as water supply". The Sundial folly predominantly announces the park site within the skyline and at a more intimate scale, dynamically portrays the City's connection to the lake. |
|
We approached the competition with the interest of adding something unique to Toronto's rich public art collection. Being both architecturally trained our concept was more spacial than object, and architectonic than sculptural. The overall concept was based on the premise that Toronto has historically derived its sense of place through its relationship to the lake. The project initiates a renewal of connection, evoking the spirit of the lake in recognizable icons. These icons were conceived as pseudoscientific instruments each different and accessible to the pedestrians. Their placement around the inner harbour allows the visitor to explore the edge condition, where the land meets the lake. The instruments were designed and located to be found objects on the landscape. You came across these elements, and by exploring them and interacting with them they slowly open up there secretes to you. The "Sundial" the horizon, the sky water and changing reflections, the "Wind Tower" water currents and prevailing winds, the "Water Clock", the islands and water tactility, the "Sextant" the edge condition and lake tide. As the "Sundial" folly was being installed it became clear that as an object it was static, but as you became involved with the object: its paths, its interior, its views, sounds and reflections, the pedestrian was not just an observer but the dynamic element of the composition. It is our hope that through the interaction and exploration of these instruments the Inner Harbours natural elements is perceived and romanticized. Paul Figueiredo...........................................................Jonathan Fung |