Strung II by Gord Ferguson

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Strung II Artist - Gord Ferguson Strung II is a public artwork integrated into a traffic interchange at Crowchild Trail and Sarcee Trail NW, Calgary. Strung II merges images of a barbed wire fence with the urban environment of concrete and asphalt. The artwork consists of two components: large sculptural pieces in the concrete piers of the underpass, and panels integrated into the pedestrian railing of the overpass. The images of barbed wire express a connection between the public art work and the site as it represents the ranching history of the area. The two artworks in the underpass are large, flat images of barbed wire placed within the spaces of two concrete piers. The size and location of these sculptures allow traffic on Crowchild Trail to experience the public art. The eight artworks on the overpass consist of panels of laser cut steel integrated into the railing. Each panel contains cutout images of a barbed wire fence with a background pattern of curvilinear shapes. The panels contribute a sense of a rural landscape in the urban environment.

The Artist Gord is currently the Department Chair of the First Year Studies Department at the Alberta College of Art & Design (ACAD), where he has also taught sculpture and drawing since 1981. Since having graduated from the University of Montana with a Master of Fine Art (Sculpture), he has compiled a lengthy list of exhibitions across Canada and has twice received a Canada Council Grant to support his studio research. His current interests lie in accepting a site as a 'found place' and working with its characteristics to produce an artwork which reflects or opens up something from within the site itself.

The Project An information session was held for all interested artists on July 6, 2005. The artist was selected through a combination of an open call, followed by an invitational call process. The budget for Strung II was $80,000. The project was a collaborative initiative by the Public Art Program and City of Calgary Transportation Infrastructure, the business unit sponsor. The capital project which provided the funding was the construction of the Crowchild Trail/Sarcee Trail interchange. Strung II was completed in 2007.


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