Title: The Landing Eye
Materials: Beach-combed logs and welded marine-grade aluminum
Description: A sculpture of reclaimed weathered logs and patchworked welded marine-grade aluminum frames an iconic seaside view.
Location: Inglis Park (the intersection of School Road, Gibsons Way, Gower Point Road, Marine Drive)
Date: 2023
Artist Statement:
Here in Gibsons, we have something better than TV, better than any image search: the unmediated pleasure of heart-wrenchingly picturesque views from countless vantage points in the area. Through interaction with my sculpture, the leisurely viewing of Gibsons is processed through the foundational materials and heritage of our local industries. Trades our Town is built upon find common ground with the creative arts in this monument to hard work and resourcefulness. This piece was created in collaboration with the local businesses 101 Marine Repair and Tideline Aluminum Boats.
The work utilizes reclaimed, weathered logs that escaped their booms to live adrift at sea, before being ‘beachcombed’ and dragged straight out of the ocean. The rustic wood is paired with reflective and smooth aluminum, wrought by skilled welders whose work in Marine Design is also on display in the marina below. The form is rather monolithic and minimalist. Upon closer inspection the metal reveals an abstract patchwork texture of shapes that bear witness to their hand-made origins.
The function of the sculpture highlights a specific viewpoint by featuring a window/porthole facing the ocean, thereby equalizing the view amongst participants. Fixed yet ever-changing: with the seasons, movement of boats, tides, and more. Framing our surroundings in this way creates a solitary moment of mindful appreciation for passers-by, and invites consideration of those who have come before them.
The overall feeling is that of a monument lost in time – primal and raw in the face of seaside elements, yet possibly belonging to the future. The structure embodies strength and vitality, as a passage to another world – or at least, an invitation to look at things in a different way.
Artist Bio:
Janine Dunn is a proud Gibsons local. The Dunn family runs the local farm Sunnycoast Farm on Reed Rd. Practicing art from a working farm, her paintings and sculptures are intimately connected to the land in both themes and materiality. She uses natural or self-made materials such as soil, cement, leaves, charcoal, and paint to create a figurative dream world. The opportunity to create a public work which will weather the seasons fits with her oeuvre of large scale art which has been described as ‘fearless’ and ‘rustic-modern’.
website: http://jdunn.art
