Tree Tops
by Brennan Jelinski
A handful of kinetic tree sculptures bring a splash of colour, form, and playful interaction to a snowy pedestrian pathway that cuts through a vacant lot. Passer-by are invited to interact with the colourful trees which mimic species found in Manitoba. Modular construction and ball bearings allow for the branches to be rotated, encouraging engagement as simple as accidentally brushing one’s shoulder on a branch in passing, or as deliberate as a group of children moving the branches to completely re-invent the forest’s form.
Little Mountain
by David Penner Architect
Snow defines the Prairies as much as the fields or skies. For half the year, snow is our landscape - not merely coating it, but constituting it. We engage in an endless negotiation with this terrain, struggling to restrain or re-shape it. A little mountain is created on the prairies, transforming our topography into a moment of Manitoba mystery. Little Mountain is formed from snow and sliced to create a gorge to wander and wonder through. The pathway carves its way through the snow mound, creating an interior passage which provokes curiosity and draws onlookers within. Interior walls will provide an icy canvas for collaborative community paintings preserved behind a think layer of ice, creating a dazzling display waiting to be discovered.
The Interval & Axis Bridge
by Chris Ried
Axis Bridge and The Interval are an artistic response to the ever-changing landscape, neighbourhoods, flow of traffic and pedestrians in downtown Brandon. Situated beside Westman Immigrant Services (WIS), located at the former Canadian Pacific Railway Station, WIS welcomes and assists recent immigrants to Canada, serving as a friendly reminder of "home" to European immigrants. Reid's Winter Garden gives a nod to this historical tradition while creating a contemporary garden filled with lacy cutouts. Colourful organic shapes painted with community provide a canvas to express identity, culture, and creativity in the winter landscape. Painted designs meld together to become abstracted forms that echo the colourful graffiti found on trains, which move along in the background of the Winter Garden.
Coloreando a Brandon
by Albyn Carias
Coloreando a Brandon will see colourful globes and shapes suspended above the snowy landscape. A rainbow of honeycomb sculptures, inspired by festive paper decorations rooted in the Latino community, bring a fun and inviting atmosphere to the winter landscape. The colourful objets bring a touch of nostalgia to the Latino community and create a space of interaction between the Latino immigrant community and all of Brandon. The Winter Garden provides a platform for cultural expression on the landscape and celebrates proud Latino culture, encouraging all community members and cultures to celebrate who they are and feel proud of what they have accomplished.
AURORA BALLEALIS
by Public City Architecture
Liz Wreford, Landscape Architect with PUBLIC CITY, finds inspiration from the Prairie landscape and northern lights for Aurora Ballealis which contains thousands of green and blue ice globes. Community members prepared the ice globes and placed them on-site with the design team. This community project explores “possible gardens” and ways “we might help to understand the power and poetry of the prairie landscape and the community that shapes it." The vast prairie ecosystems that once occupied the southern part of Manitoba were seas of flowing grasses – the windswept home to thousands of species of birds and mammals, havens of biological diversity, and a rich garden in a state of flux from season to season. The constant push and pull of ecosystem change provided a complete landscape mosaic that supported all forms of life.
Urban Avian Ecology
by James Culleton, Chris Pancoe,
+ Michael Koch-Schulte
Avian Urban Ecology is a place of discovery and reflection. Stepping into the garden we catch glimpse of painted wooden birds perched throughout the trees, and find ourselves immersed in an interactive soundscape. Avian Urban Ecology encourages us to stop for a moment within the cityscape and consider nature and our connection to it. Our movements in the garden affect the interactive aural composition created by Koch-Schulte, which utilizes technology so that we, the audience become a part of the artwork and environment. The artists contemplate North America’s declining bird population and believe that society has the ability to adapt to the needs of birds. As we take moments to reflect during our day, we may realize our connections to our community and nature, and consider the adverse changes that occur when our ecosystems are threatened, and our responsibility to react.