With the installation of Calgary’s most recent art project the public is voicing their opinions over the latest controversy.
Sitting on the western end of the Trans-Canada highway, the Bowfort Towers art piece looms over cars as they drive by. Slabs of rocks angled on tall rusted-looking steel girders welcomes people from the west.
In Calgary, there have been numerous art projects that have sparked controversy throughout the city, from the Peace Bridge to the Giant Blue Ring costing the city millions of taxpayer dollars. The Bowfort Towers is only the latest addition to this spiral of opinions.
Local Calgarian Nicholas Miklic calls it “ugly.”
While other locals such as Nancy Chow loves seeing art around the city. For her, art is more than just a creation, it brings people together.
“For Calgarians [public art] gives them a sense of community,” says Chow.
Public art budgets are calculated by the City of Calgary at one per cent of first $50 million of the total capital project costs. The Bowfort Towers piece is just one installment of two. It is attached to the Trans-Canada interchange project, which includes drumlins on the other side of the highway created by Patricia Leighton.
Editor: Anna Junker | ajunker@cjournal.ca