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The steel sculpture known as Moving Surfaces occupied a berm in Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park for more than a decade. Now, as construction begins on the site’s redevelopment, the massive artwork is being dismantled and moved into city storage.
Artist Jill Anholt, who designed the nearly $2 million sculpture, said the initial decision to remove the art piece worried her — but she was confident it would be reinstated.
“In December, I received a draft report that said that approximately 80 per cent of the LED strings were still working,” she said. “At Christmas I left feeling very optimistic that we had a plan in place to do a slow refurbishment of the work.”
That optimism faded, however, after Anholt learned the city didn’t heed her recommendations for removing and storing the lighting system. She said the metal structure itself is durable, but the lighting — which she calls essential to the artwork — is at risk.
“The piece had been taken down … with all the LED’s in place, which meant that they would not survive the two to four years sitting outside,” she said, adding that she feels the city “took the whole remediation possibility off the table.”
Anholt is worried the consequences could make reinstating the sculpture not financially viable.
“With the only remaining possibility being an entirely new [lighting] system from scratch, this can be very expensive,” she said. “I’m not certain what the funding source would be for that.”
Anholt said she feels let down.
“I’m very, very, very disappointed,” she said.
“I feel very unoptimistic that this piece is ever going to see the light of day again.”
WATCH | The sculpture artist’s concerns:
Artist worries for steel sculpture’s future
Artist Jill Anholt, who designed the nearly $2-million sculpture at Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park, is concerned over the decision to remove the art piece and place it in storage. The City of Ottawa says the relocation is part of council’s direction under the Lansdowne 2.0 project.
The City of Ottawa says the relocation is part of council’s direction under the Lansdowne 2.0 project.
In a statement, Justin Kurosky, manager of construction and design for Lansdowne 2.0, said staff are working “to identify a cost-effective and durable method for reimagining and reinstating Moving Surfaces.”
He added that “the piece is being carefully and safely relocated to an off-site City storage site while the new event centre is constructed,” and that staff will return to council with cost estimates and proposed funding sources once a review is complete.
For now, Moving Surfaces will sit in storage as redevelopment continues — its future uncertain, its creator hoping it won’t be forgotten.