A new series of sculptures along Somerset Street West, officially celebrated in the community on Sept. 14, will act as brightly coloured “subtle gateways” to the Hintonburg and Chinatown districts.
The art installation, entitled Morphology/ Silk Road Flower Rain, consists of 16 aluminum and glass sculptures, with Morphology in the Hintonburg district and Silk Road Flower Rain at the entrance to Chinatown.
The glass pieces fasten to streetlights to give off a display of light and colour.
Morphology’s glass forms shape a blooming flower, symbolic of Hintonburg’s revitalization, while the Silk Road Flower Rain series reflects Chinese culture.
Each series has eight sculptures because the number eight represents luck and fortune in Chinese numerology.
Local artists Charlynne Lafontaine and Ryan Lotecki were commissioned to design and create the artwork – funded through the Somerset Street West Reconstruction budget – after winning a public competition in June 2011.
Under the city’s Percent for Art Policy, one per cent of funds going towards municipal development projects are set aside for public art.