Community members in the Centretown area gathered to welcome the new 4,000-pound art installation to St. Luke’s Park at Elgin and Gladstone on Sept. 24. The Listening Tree was designed by local duo Mixed Metaphors for the City of Ottawa Art Collection’s art in parks project.
The art piece was designed by Carleton University professor Jesse Stewart and architecture graduate Matt Edwards, who co-founded Mixed Metaphors in 2014.
According to city councillor Catherine McKenney, the duo submitted the piece after responding to a call from Ottawa’s art council in 2015. The council was searching for another public art installation to commission for a park in addition to the few already in place across the city. Out of the 18 submissions judged by both a panel and a public audience, The Listening Tree was chosen.
The art installation stands at 15 feet tall, and is near the entrance of the park. The piece is also a sound sculpture activated by the wind. According to the artists, the sculpture sings precisely when the wind is blowing down Gladstone.
According to McKenney, the installation is supposed to indicate the struggle with maintaining greenery in an urban space, reminding the public to be vigilant with green space. The use of metal represents the union of the crossing lights on the street and the natural aspect of the park.
“The metal used is the same as the neighbouring street lights,” McKenney said. “This identifies the union of the street to the beginning of the park.”
During her address at the unveiling, McKenney continued to thank the public and the artists for their support and enthusiasm for the project. She also directed attention to the other installations in local parks that can be found online at the city’s website.
At the unveiling event, around 40 locals came out to celebrate the new piece. In addition to speeches from McKenney, representatives from the arts collective, and the artists, the event included a musical performance featuring Indigenous drums. The event also featured a community barbecue, where the public got a question-and-answer session with the artists.
The artists said the creative process was all about discovery and wonder. Some of the obstacles faced revolved around small spacing and welding the material together, but ultimately they said they are both happy with the final product.
“I was here adding an extra coat [of waterproofing material] when a man approached. He obviously didn’t know I was one of the artists, but he told us a story of a day he was walking past and heard the piece singing, telling us how beautiful it was,” Stewart said. “That’s what we want, for people to create their own memories here.”
The artists said they hope to make St. Luke’s Park a more enjoyable space by creating a visual piece to let the public know there is valuable space there.
“This piece should enrich the neighbourhood and connect the public with the park,” Edwards said. “We noticed that the trees here were mirrored on either side but there was one missing right at the entrance, so the piece reaches over to the other side.”
