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Thunder Bay, Ont., has recently completed the installation of Esox (Ginoozheg) by Halifax-based artist Simon Lacey in the Mall Street Plaza as part of the North Core Streetscape Project<\/a>.<\/p>\n The public artwork, which translates to ‘pike’ (esox in Latin and ginoozheg in Ojibway), is located between Red River Road and Park Street.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a big project in the end. But I mean, I thought it turned out awesome. So I\u2019m pretty excited about how it looks,\u201d said Lacey, who also runs Ballast Design Studios.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sad to leave it in Thunder Bay, [but] when I was there, I tried walking past it as much as I could because it\u2019s the first time I\u2019d seen the full thing in a row and sort of laid out like that.\u201d<\/p>\n While installing the artwork\u2019s sculptures was a straightforward process, it took several months for Lacey to develop the proposal, prepare production and cut files, linear-weld them using almost 200 pounds of wire and finally transport them to Thunder Bay in box trucks.<\/p>\n The public artwork draws inspiration from the Kaministiquia River.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pavers are supposed to sort of look like a sweeping river\u2026 I wanted to incorporate that motion of the river, sort of the style of the river,\u201d Lacey said, adding that the street was an interesting space, as it was long and fairly narrow.<\/p>\n Lacey also liked the profile of northern pike, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe concept of the sculpture \u2014 sort of the design of it \u2014 was just designed after the pike in the river,\u201d Lacey said.<\/p>\n If people go walking through rivers or fishing, fish are often sort of dark and obscured as they\u2019re swimming underwater, Lacey explained, noting how he liked that ambiguous motion of the fish.\u00a0<\/p>\n When a fish turns side up to the river, it\u2019ll also flash in the sunlight, Lacey continued.<\/p>\n Capture the ‘duality of visual scapes’<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all these baffles in the steel sculptures\u2026 they\u2019ll sort of move independently and look a little ambiguous, but then when you look at the side profile, I\u2019ve incorporated the strip along that to reflect that turning into the sun,\u201d Lacey said.<\/p>\n Ultimately, he said, he wanted his art to be \u201cawesome\u201d and for people to go downtown and see these sculptures, then get excited about art and nature.<\/p>\n Two other proposals were also selected for Thunder Bay’s north core streetscape by a jury composed of Public Art Committee members, community representatives and arts professionals following a national Open Call to Artists<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cThunder Bay Particles \u2013 Medicine Wheel was actually installed before the winter last year. That was a piece by artist Scott Eunson and Shelby Gagnon,\u201d said Laurie Abthorpe, the city\u2019s supervisor of cultural development, community programming and events.<\/p>\n It is located in the St. Paul Street to Cumberland Street Plaza.<\/p>\n \u201cThe third and final installation is titled All Together by boyRoland and we expect that to be installed later this year \u2014 and that is up by the Court Street Plaza area,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n LISTEN | Caitlyn McMillan: North Core Art Installation:<\/p>\n Superior Morning7:11Caitlyn McMillan: North Core Art Installation<\/p>\n Thunder Bay will be unveiling three new public art pieces as part of its North Core revitalization. Hear how the art pieces were chosen and what they mean for the community.<\/p>\n $500,000 was allocated for the public art installations, with funding support from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation\u2019s Community Enhancement Program.<\/p>\n \u201cArtworks like these preserve and showcase culture and heritage identity for our community. They foster social connectivity and public art is accessible,\u201d Abthorpe said.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone has access \u2026 encouraging inclusion and there\u2019s also some great economic impact. They do attract visitors to our areas and public art transforms spaces into a destination for community members and visitors to our city.\u201d<\/p>\n Public art pieces impact city growth<\/p>\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785028577_54_default.jpg\")
One of the five fish sculptures in the north core. (Nicky Shaw\/CBC)Second of three public artworks<\/p>\n