The community of Bankview

The project all began with the community of Bankview. Here Bram met various community association members who toured him around the community’s highlights including its community gardens, diverse range of structures, sport fields as well as its community hall where later, a pancake breakfast was held during the Calgary Stampede. It was here that Bram took the opportunity to mingle with a large number of its members. A large wall of the hall’s outside was covered in paper and markers were supplied to members (in-line for the free pancake breakfast) to jot down initial and spontaneous thoughts of their community before and after they devoured the pancakes.

In addition to the wall of thoughts, Bram met with elderly members as well as politicians to gain insight and collect a diverse range of stories from Bankview’s past.

The stories collected, together with impactful words written on the wall were later integrated into the details of the artworks for the community of Bankview for pedestrians to read and reflect on. This method essentially integrates all the community members into the artworks themselves.

 

Bankview – Historic Journey
Elbow Drive SW & Southampton Drive SW, SW Corner

“Historic Journey” above represents the past of Bankview and serves as an homage to its rich ranch lands history.

Bankview – Winds of Change
Elbow Drive SW & Southampton Drive SW, SW Corner

“Winds of Change” portrays a glimpse of the future with plenty of indication for movement, freedom and wind breathing clean air and change into the hills of Bankview.

The community of Glenbrook

Meeting with community members in Glenbrook was done at a private residence. A wide range of stories were swapped but ones that stood out included a tale about a pack of coyotes traveling around the neighbourhood, one of a traveling milkman dropping off milk door-to-door and the fact that a great portion of the area used to be an active gravel pit.

 

Glenbrook – Garden Spun
Country Hills Blvd NW & Country Hills Drive, NW Corner

“Garden Spun” is an abstract representation of the traditional milk can, making up a secret garden.

Glenbrook – Coyote Wild
Country Hills Blvd NW & Country Hills Drive, NW Corner

“Coyote Wild” plays on the pack of Coyotes that traveled through and made Glenbrook home. Their stops were recorded, and in the work they’re represented by the solid white circles.

The community of Southwood

The community of Southward holds an annual rhubarb festival where strawberry rhubarb pie is served up together with a BBQ, face painting, trampolines, crafts, a petting zoo and more. When Bram met some of its community members, the gardens stood out where members grow – among many other fruits and vegetables – rhubarb.

The rhubarb plants hide their delicious stems with its large outward facing leaves. Similarly, Southwood hides its inner spirit from Calgary’s popular Elbow Drive. It’s not until you take a road through it, that you’re exposed to its offerings.

 

Southwood – Rhubarb Whispers
Elbow Drive SW & Southampton Drive SW, SW Corner

“Rhubarb Whispers” reveals the magic that lies within the community and the effort it takes to create the red stems of the rhubarb.

The community of Harvest Hills

For the community of Harvest Hills, there isn’t just one specific association – it’s rather scattered and broad. So to get a feel for what the members of the community felt of Harvest Hills, an online questionnaire was distributed via social media.

 

Harvest Hills – Feeding Curiosity
Country Hills Blvd NW & Harvest Hills Blvd N, SE Corner

“Feeding Curiosity” has a more straight-forward meaning when you consider the name of Harvest Hills. These hills provide for a wide range of animals, including human beings.

The community of Country Hills

As with the community of Harvest Hills, Country Hills is similar in nature. For it, the online questionnaire was also distributed. Feedback was rather wide with some negative comments, and some positive. Typically, online, you can expect to get a wide range of feedback as people have no filter online. That’s an interesting theory on its own.

 

Country Hills – In a Dream
Country Hills Blvd NW & Country Hills Drive, NW Corner

“In a Dream” plays less on the exact meaning behind Country Hills, as it’s something never properly discovered but it plays on the diversity on the feedback, the diversity of the people, and the potential of betterment within a dream.