Arboreus (After Rodchenko)

Located in the open public plaza, and suspended from the north wall of the elevator shaft, the piece consists of large, translucent glass panels painted with a digitally manipulated image of a giant, first-growth tree. The image quite literally reflects on the historic logging industry of Lynn Valley, bringing back a ghostly image of the area’s original forest landscape. But, this could also be the tree of knowledge, located – appropriately – at the library, at a place where new technologies for the transmission of knowledge often create a tension between reality and imagination. During the day this monumental glass slide responds differently to the shifting intensities of natural light, subtly transforming the quality of the image.

Sculpture - laminated glass, glulam lumber frame