Stanley Park Environmental Art

Semi-Permanent Works

John Hemsworth, Peter von Tiesenhausen • Davide Pan, T'Uy'Tanat Cease Wyss • Shirley Wiebe • Tania Willard

The idea of semi-permanent art work runs counter to our traditional idea of "art" which is displayed in galleries and requires only that we look and interpret. With growing concern over the state of our environment and the increasing violence of weather (like the windstorm that devastated Stanley Park in 2006), artists are beginning to respond by incorporating environmental practices into the creation of their work. They're taking their work "outside"—not just into the natural world where it helps us to form a different relationship with nature—but outside that traditional notion of "art".

Environmental art is created with natural materials, is designed to be non-destructive, and is usually site-specific so can't be moved to another location. The art works in Stanley Park will have a special relationship to the park as they will be designed to work in harmony with the surrounding environment and habitat. Made of organic materials, the work, by its very nature, will be temporary and subside back into the earth gradually and over time.

Opportunities for the public to meet the artists, tour the artworks and engage in creating their own environmental works are ongoing. Please check our public programming page for complete listings.