Pantone Perfect

Pantone Perfect, one of two projects we developed for the 2014 Urban Lights Ruhr in Hamm Germany, has been added to our website.

With the assistance of the the Musée d'histoire des sciences de Genèves, Switzerland, we recorded the exact Pantone value of each of the original 52 hues from Saussure's Cyanometre from 1787, and faithfully reproduced them in dry colour pigments. Each hour through the duration of the project, we followed Saussure's rigourous but ultimately futile attempt to measure precisely and reproduce the blueness of the sky. 

For more information on the project please click here.

A Walk at the Edge of the World

We have just be notified that A Walk at the Edge of the World received a third place award from the Scottish Arts Club, in the best new Scottish drama performance category at the Fringe the judges said "The Strength and sheer power of drama are such that, as an art form, it continues to evolve and, with this wonderful "performance piece", Magnetic North has expanded the boundaries and taken us to a newly-crafted "edge"

The ceremony took place Sunday 24 August at the Arts Club, sadly we weren't able make it in person, but were there in spirit.

Thanks also to Total Theatre for their wonderful review of A Walk at the Edge of the World!

Another article just posted on the Pebblesshire News site 'Walk reveals hidden secrets'

You Are Here - Glasgow 2014

The commonwealth games have wrapped and You Are Here is no longer present in the skyline of Glasgow. We are very grateful to have had such a great team who made it possible. Here are a few images of the Merchant City during the games.

Cacher pour mieux montrer

Follow the link below to hear an interesting conversation on CBC Saskatoon with Janet Zweig, Jury member for American’s for the Arts', Public Art Year in Review, about our project Cacher pour mieux montrer (Hide to show better) which received recognition as one of the top public art projects in North America in 2013.

CBC RADIO LINK

You Are Here - Glasgow 2014

You are here has been commissioned for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

You are here playfully references the red arrow found on maps to identify your location, first shown at National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, You are here will now be in the heart of Glasgow, hovering over the cultural hub in the Merchant City for the duration of the Games and the Merchant City Festival.

Public Art Network - Year In Review

We’ve just received confirmation that our piece Cacher pour mieux montrer (Hide to show better), commissioned by the City of Saskatoon's Placemaker Program, has been recognized by the Americans for the Arts and selected for the Public Art Network - 2014 Year in Review, along with two of our WATERSHED+ projects.

Americans for the Arts recognizes outstanding public art projects in North America each year. This year PAN received 345 applications from public art programs and artists. A total of 37 projects were selected from the open call process. We feel very honoured to be recognized by the Americans for the Arts.

CREATIVE CITY SUMMIT

Join us for the Creative City Network of Canada Summit in Hamilton this week! We will be participating as both keynote speakers and in the Peer-to-Peer Presentations!

For more information click here.

VIDEO UPDATE

We are working on a series of videos to share the innovative working process of WATERSHED+. For this first video city managers and engineers of this City of Calgary Business Unit talk about the ground-level integration of professional contemporary artists in their day-to-day working process:

A Walk at the Edge of the World

A Walk at the Edge of the World is touring again this summer. We worked on this last year with director Nicholas Bone and performer Ian Cameron. More information to come!


A Walk at the Edge of the World - trailer from Magnetic North on Vimeo.

Fire Hydrant Fountains

The weather must be getting warmer because the testing of the fire hydrant fountains has started! We will be launching the first of the season at the Calgary International Children’s Festival happening from the 21st to 24th of May. Watch for the fountains throughout the summer as they will be installed to provide drinkable water at festivals and special events.

Bristol Promenade Update

Our project for the end of the Brunel Mile in Bristol is near completion and here are a few more pictures of the progress!

It started life as an exploration of spaces and planes defining a public space, and later morphed into a design responding more precisely to the particular man-made conditions to create a landscape specific to the space.

Photo Credit Cullinan Studios

Photo Credit Cullinan Studios

Photo Credit Cullinan Studios

The final design is a boardwalk promenade space along a meadowy landscape fed by the runoff rainwater from the adjacent building. In collaboration with Cullinan Studio Architects and Grants Associates the journey of the rainwater is celebrated with the visible drain pipes, collection dishes and open rills distributing the water onto the grassland slope.
The different growing conditions (slope, orientation, rainwater runoff) are highlighted by the use of a variety of biodiversity and habitats (grasses, damp grassland, marginal vegetation and woodland groundcover). Combined with these conditions the experience of the harbour side (ruderal plants and riparian habitat) is drawn up into the Promenade.


This project was commissioned by Crest Nicholson Regeneration as part of the Harbourside development.

Six Acres Update

On our way to Ruhr we stopped in to see the progress of our project Six Acres. Things are progressing along quickly! Looking forward to sharing the completed images, but for now here is a sneak peak.

CACHER POUR MIEUX MONTRER

We'll be returning to Saskatoon on Friday to conclude Cacher pour mieux montrer by unveiling the 12 covered works. We have also been invited to give a talk about our work, making this project, and the public's response to date. The talk is open to the public.

Date: Friday, December 6
Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Location: The Gallery at the Frances Morrison Central Library
311 - 23rd Street East, Saskatoon, Saskatchwan

Cacher pour mieux montrer

Last week we installed Cacher pour mieux montrer in Saskatoon. The temporary installation covers public art in the city for 3 weeks, bringing it back to attention and starting conversation about public art. The weather was very clement, considering the time of year, and the public's reaction was really positive and supportive. Here are a few pictures of the work in progress:

Tomorrow we're heading to Saskatoon for a new project. We're looking forward to the drive through the Prairie and to exploring this city for a couple of days. More on the project soon...

A walk at the edge of the world

We are currently developing another exciting new production with Magnetic North Theatre. We've been working with Magnetic North's Director Nick Bone and performer Ian Cameron in Edinburgh over the last 2 weeks and now heading to Mull to complete the first stage of development.

A Walk at the Edge of the World is inspired by the act of walking. During the performance, the narrator leads the audience along the many paths his mind followed as he walked and the talk leaps from subject to subject, mirroring the way the mind works when there is time only to think. The hidden secrets of the landscape and the constantly shifting border between land and sea lead the narrator to understand that the past is always with us, whether we realise it or not.

Performances: Mull — June 29th and Iona — June 30th

Worcester Orchard developments

As well as the Bristol Promenade, the University Orchard in Worcester is getting near completion.
In this first phase of the works, the hard landscaping is pretty much finished and the seeding is taking place. The orchard terraces are now clearly visible, now just waiting for the tree planting at the next planting season.

Bristol promenade

After a few developments, our project for the end of the Brunel Mile in Britol is near completion!

It started life as an exploration of spaces and planes defining a public space, and later morphed into a design responding more precisely to the particular man-made conditions to create a landscape specific to the space.

The final design is a boardwalk promenade space along a meadowy landscape fed by the runoff rainwater from the adjacent building. In collaboration with Cullinan Studio Architects and Grants Associates the journey of the rainwater is celebrated with the visible drain pipes, collection dishes and open rills distributing the water onto the grassland slope.
The different growing conditions (slope, orientation, rainwater runoff) are highlighted by the use of a variety of biodiversity and habitats (grasses, damp grassland, marginal vegetation and woodland groundcover). Combined with these conditions the experience of the harbour side (ruderal plants and riparian habitat) is drawn up into the Promenade.



This project was commissioned by Crest Nicholson Regeneration as part of the Harbourside development.

Worcester Orchard

Last week we were in Worcester visiting our project for the University which is under construction. Over the last year we worked with BCA Landscape architects to realise this project, a public orchard in the heart of Worcester. The works are well under way and the land is taking shape nicely, exciting!

Here are a few shots from the day.

Limelight in Vancouver

For its first venue in 2013, Limelight: Saturday night will be in Vancouver this week end.
We're setting up the lights tonight in 2 different places along Grandville Street. The spotlight will be happening at the same time in these 2 locations on Friday night and Saturday night.
Look for the limelight on Hastings and Grandville and 68th and Granville this week end!

And on sunday night we will have an informal evening of conversation and dialogue about Limelight: Saturday night with Bryan Newson, Public Art Program Manager for the City of Vancouver and Dr. Cameron Cartiere, Dean of Graduate Studies at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
Sunday 27th January, 17.00 till 19.00, at the Metro Theatre, 1370 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6P 5Z9.
More info here


Hope to see you in the Limelight or at the discussion!

The installation of Limelight in Vancouver is part of chART: Public Art Marpole, a creative collaboration between Emily Carr University of Art + Design and the Marpole BIA. The project aims to support public art and community engagement through creativity and innovation. This collaboration is led by Dr. Cameron Cartiere, Dean of Graduate Studies at Emily Carr.

Limelight: Saturday Night in Vancouver is hosted by chART: Public Art Marpole, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Downtown Business Improvement Association, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Marpole Business Improvement Association and the City of Vancouver Public Art Program.