Jun 11, 2014

going going green

Vancouver, BC - Langara unveiled a new public art installation outside of the Langara-49th Avenue Canada Line Station today. Jenerator Paulsen, a 2013 graduate of the Langara Fine Arts Diploma Program, is the artist of the new sculpture. Paulsen was selected through the College's first juried student art competition.

The large 8' x 8' piece, titled Going, Going … Green, epitomizes the relationship between industry and nature, and between man and his environment. The theme was inspired by the materials that make up the piece: steel and ivy. The sculpture, created by bending rods to form a three-dimensional line drawing, depicts a figure looking upward with an outstretched hand amidst nondescript figures. Within the piece, three bundles of ivy, a plant known for its clinging vines and its aggressive growth, have been incorporated. Over the next six months, the vines of the ivy will weave around the rods and continue to naturally interact with steel elements. 

"I hope it's aesthetically pleasing for people who stop to look at it," said Paulsen. "The sculpture will continue to create itself and this speaks to the limits of man's control over his natural environment. I struggled to make steel appear organic, and an invasive species of vine predictable. In the end, the piece became a reflection of reality and the methods of its production. The fabrication was a learning experience, to say the least, and I am eternally grateful to Langara Public Art and InTransit BC for allowing me and my art to speak on this platform. This is truly a process piece and it continues to grow intuitively toward an unknown result." 

"It has been so satisfying to watch Jenerator’s work literally grow as it matured on one of the rooftop patios outside my office," said Julie Longo, Langara’s Dean of Arts. "She has worked with her faculty mentor, Jake Hill, to fashion a striking and engaging three dimensional work. This is the perfect piece to launch our student art competition."

Going, Going … Green will be featured at the Langara-49th Avenue Station for the next eight months. This is the fourth project produced through a public art initiative created in partnership with InTransit BC. The College would like to extend its thanks to Canada Line's art coordinator Coleen Nemtin. 

About Langara

Langara College, located in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada, provides University, Career, and Continuing Studies programs and courses to more than 21,000 students annually. The College’s expansive academic breadth and depth allows students to choose their own educational path. The Creative Arts Division includes Design Formation, Film Arts, Fine Arts, Journalism, Professional Photography, Publishing, Studio 58, and Art History.

Media Contact

Sylvia Tan
Communications Officer
Langara College
604.323.5961 | stan@langara.bc.ca