Temporary Public Art Program

Temporary Public Art - Past Years

• 2025 Projects

  

  Kiranjot Kaur, Histogram Histories

  (Currently on display | Oliver Woods Community Community Centre)
  “Histogram histories” by Kiranjot Kaur will involve an dynamic hanging installation representing histogram graphs tracing change in approximately seven metrics across the City of Nanaimo through time. A histogram is a chart that plots the distribution of numeric variables in a set of bars. Lightweight fabric cylinders representing numerical variables will hang in a series of sculptural ‘graphs’, affording visitors multiple viewpoints and changing perspectives, wherein they experience the selected statistical data in visually-arresting artistic form. The cylinders will be enclosed in layers of vibrant fabric of varying textures and prints for a dynamic sculptural quality. Opportunities for the public to ‘add their mark’ to the project by contributing their own statistic will be facilitated, such as for example, adding the year they arrived and/or were born in Nanaimo to a piece of fabric which will later be incorporated into the histogram representing that specific metric. In the realization of this project, the artist bridges gaps between disciplines, providing connections that foster community conversations and contemplation, and engaging the public in new ways of understanding our changing environment and representations of living history. The project will be installed in 2025 and on display for public engagement and enjoyment for up to five years. Learn more. 

  

  Jackie Wong, Lost Intersections

  (Installation currently in-progress)
  In "Lost Intersections,” artist, Jackie Wong asks: What happened to Nanaimo’s Chinatowns? Broadening the recognition of Chinese contributions to the history of Nanaimo is the focus of this project. Three individual satellite installations at the locations of the city’s former Chinatowns will become place makers, creating connections between the historical, cultural, and economic contributions of Chinese immigrants. Each installation will consist of a red neon light in the form of the Chinese characters representing the numbers one, two, and three, sparking curiosity and encouraging engagement and interest. Adjacent to each installation will be a sign with an accessible QR code that links to an online platform with additional information on the Chinatown that was once at that location. This historically rich project will delve into the development and deconstruction of Nanaimo’s Chinatowns and acknowledge a narrative that is not known to many in the community, offering new insights and possibilities to alter perspectives both visually and contextually. The project will be installed in 2025 and on display for public engagement and enjoyment for up to five years. 

• 2024 Projects

  

  Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun, Siwul tu Tumuxw

  (Installation in January/ February 2026)
  "Siwul tu Tumuxw" by Eliot White-Hill's is a sound installation that will recontextualize space and our understanding of Snuneymuxw tumuxw, the land upon which the City of Nanaimo has been built. Site-specific installation using outdoor speakers and recorded sounds of species of animals, birds, and insects Indigenous to the area, will be discretely placed at sites throughout the Old City Quarter. These sounds will serve as an artistic intervention in the urban landscape, drawing traditional Snuneymuxw knowledge and stories about the land back to the surface. The artist seeks to raise awareness and knowledge about the environment and ecosystems of the region, the impacts of colonization, and traditional teachings passed down by Snuneymuxw. The project will be installed in Old City Quarter and on display for public engagement and enjoyment for up to five years.

  

  Robert Turriff, The ReWilders

  (Currently on display | Colliery Dam Park)
  "The ReWilders" by Robert Turriff will involve the creation of a collection of sculptural creatures, the shape and form of which will be developed through community workshops. Inspired by themes in science fiction, the creatures will symbolically engage in plant management, demonstrating tasks like invasive plant removal and native plant cultivation, thereby fostering resilience to climate change and encouraging beneficial environmental habitats. The creatures serve as catalysts meant to inspire the community, illustrating practical steps for future land stewardship. Free community workshops will enhance the project, helping the artist craft the creatures form and mythos, and in doing so, evoking a sense of environmental responsibility. This collaborative effort encourages the community to actively contribute to the project, inspiring action for a sustainable ecosystem in Nanaimo. “Re-Wilders” will be installed in Colliery Park in 2024 and on display for public engagement and enjoyment for up to five years. Learn more.

• 2023 Projects

  Temporary Public Art 2023

  David Martinello, Compelling Agency

  (Currently on display| Fitzwilliam St & Wallace St)
  David Martinello large-scale sculpture, "Compelling Agency", found adjacent to the intersection of Fitzwilliam and Wallace Streets, draws attention to the connective value that humans have to wood as a resource. The artist’s intention with his artwork is to have the viewer thoughtfully evaluate their relationship to wood and, in turn, their relationship to their environment while they observe the natural weathering and evolution of this intriguing structural piece during its years on display.

  

  Amber Morrison & Matthew Fox, Moon Snail House

  (Currently on display | Pipers Lagoon Park)
  Artists, Amber Morrison, and Matthew Fox, captivate passersby with the interactive artwork, Moon Snail House, located in Pipers Lagoon Park. This large-scale artwork invites visitors to become active participants, allowing them to enter the sculpture to experience the environment from a new perspective. The two artists aim to connect small structures like the artwork to the topic of housing, encouraging reflection on who has the opportunity to live by the sea and access it. As the moon snail naturally grows its shell—a house-like structure—it prompts us to ask: What essential lessons can we learn about housing from this creature?

• 2022 Projects

  Temporary Public Art 2022

  

  Curtis Grahauer, Millstone

  (Currently on display | Bowen Park)
  Millstone, an interactive media project by artist, Curtis Grahauer consists of six films accessed using personal devices and QR codes found on signs located throughout Bowen Park (Nanaimo, BC). Filmed in a variety of dynamic locations over the course of a year, this project captures the life of the Millstone River as it ebbs and flows, ever-changing in resilient transformation. The artist’s long-term observations are compressed into shorter form, highlighting subtle changes in the surrounding environment that might otherwise be overlooked. Meaningful understanding requires that we slow down and reflect in quiet contemplation, observing the seasonal changes of the river, while absorbing the rhythms and beats of nature.

  

  Jesse Gray, Chimes for the South End

  (Currently being re-built)
  Evoking a patch of tall plants clustered together, like marsh reeds or bunch grasses, Chimes for the South End is a touch-activated sound sculpture that engages with the existing soundscape of the South End neighbourhood. Located in Deverill Square Gyro 2 Park, the bronze forms on the top of the sculpture were cast from plastic trash collected in the South End. To make these bronze bells touch and chime together, visitors can gently push the bottom of the steel ‘stems’.