This expansive outdoor public art commission by Alliance Partners comprises a glazing design across the four-storey façades of two commercial buildings, plus eight photo-based murals for the enclosure gates, Richmond, B.C. (2020-2024).
The facades of each building feature large depictions of native bog trees which I’ve created by photographing the adjacent forest at the Richmond Nature Park and hand-drawing the photographic composition to create a vectorized graphic. The design spans the four facades and is applied in a seasonal concept. The artwork brings elements of the native bog forest back to the site while establishing visual markers to mitigate bird strikes on the glazing. Utilizing natural light, varying sun positions will naturally cast tree shadows and forms into the building itself. I designed this interactive element with the intent to replicate what one would experience while immersed within a forest.
Lastly, I’ve established a theme of levels within the artworks. The flora depicted on each structure corresponds to the level of the forest environment in relation to the height of installation on the architecture; adding another cohesive element into the project.
In 2023, the installation of 59 windows on Building A (illustrating autumn and winter) and the 49 windows on Building B (depicting spring and summer) was completed. Below are site photographs during installation and final documentation.
The murals consist of collaged layers of digitized cyanotype prints which feature a variety of flora species all foraged from the Richmond Nature Park with the park biologist. Over 200 cyanotype prints were created from the pressed plant specimens and 150 were scanned to render digital files which I used to create the elaborate collages. Layer upon layer of intricate details are present within these artworks, adding visual depth and immersive qualities.
Again, the intent of the entire project is to honour the land as it once was by bringing qualities of the native ecosystem back to the industrialized site through visual art. The colour scheme accents the architectural features.