Langara and InTransit BC Launch Public Art Initiative

The sculpture is hung outside of the 49th Avenue Canada Line Station.

Vancouver, BC – A public art installation created by Langara College students has been unveiled outside of a major transit station.

The eye-catching structure, entitled “Tread Lightly”, reaches a staggering 12’x5’x2’ in dimension and has been installed at the Langara/49th Avenue Canada Line station. It was conceived of and constructed by students in the Public Art Studio Practice class in Langara’s Fine Arts Program.

The steel rod, acrylic, and wood sculpture is dotted with the silver footprints of the 11 students who contributed to its construction. It is intended to evoke ideas of travelling through nodes and connections, as well as climate change and the carbon footprint of each individual.

“The collaborative process was very exciting – as was the fact that this was completely student-generated and student-built,” said instructor Luke Blackstone, who teaches the Public Art Studio Practice course. “This project is the first of its kind for creative arts students at Langara. There are literally thousands of viewers who will see this installation every day.”

“It’s eye-catching,” added James Fletcher, one of the sculptors who worked on the piece. “Art should make you think, and I think this shows the facets of people who leave their footprints behind. There are different people shown here, but they’re together, travelling.”

The project is the first to be produced through a public art initiative created in partnership between Langara College and InTransit BC. It took nearly a semester for the students to complete before it was presented to a jury composed of representatives from InTransit and the College. It was formally selected in December and now graces the exterior of the west wall of the Canada Line station at the intersection of Cambie Street and 49th Avenue. The sculpture will remain for six months and will then be replaced by a new piece of large-scale student art that is still in development.

Tomo Tanaka, the Chair of Langara’s Public Art Steering Committee, and the Division Chair of Creative Arts at the College, said: “I’m very excited to see this project come to fruition. It’s been a long journey, and I’m thrilled to see student work showcased at the 49th Street station in this way.”