Port Moody residents choose bear as subject of new Canada 150 eco-sculpture

The City of Port Moody asked, and residents answered in a close vote, choosing bear over heron and salmon as the subject of a new piece of public art coming to Rocky Point Park this summer. More than 1,300 ballots were cast: bear came in first with 578 votes, while heron was a close second with 543, and salmon was a distant third with 238 votes. 

The City has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Government of Canada to design and build an eco-sculpture – a sculpture made from living plants attached to a metal frame – in celebration of Canada 150, a cross-country celebration of the 150^th anniversary of Confederation. 

Residents were asked to choose their favourite animal – bear, salmon, or heron – by voting online or casting a paper ballot between April 18 and May 7, 2017. Now that residents have selected bear as the subject of the piece, the artist commissioned by the City can start to work on its design. 

The City will host a planting party on July 28, 2017 and invite members of the public to help complete the Canada 150 eco-sculpture. The finished piece will be unveiled in August, after the plants have had some time to grow. 

Eco-sculptures are typically constructed using a multi-step process. Drawings and a technical design come first, along with the creation of working models made from wire; then the artist builds a frame using non-corrosive or treated metal. After a horticulturalist has determined the soil requirements and developed a planting pattern, the frame is filled with soil and covered with porous landscaping fabric. A pointed, wooden stick, called a dibble stick, is used to poke holes through the fabric and into the compacted soil. Small plants are then inserted into the holes, following the planting pattern. 

The City of Port Moody acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through its Celebration and Commemoration – Canada 150 Fund.