TRANSECT

Julia Reimer and Tyler Rock 2017 

Capital Boulevard
Edmonton, 
Alberta, Canada

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Material: 316L Stainless Steel, Glass
 

Award winning artists Julia Reimer and Tyler Rock, creators of Firebrand Glass Studio, were commissioned by The Places, The Alberta Foundation of the Arts and by the Government of Canada, to create a monumental sculpture bringing meaning to Capital Boulevard in Edmonton, by creating a lasting landmark on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Canada. Together, Julia and Tyler designed a two-meter sphere made of hand grafted blue glass tiles, activating the space around it through its interaction with natural light. The rhizomatic structure evolves with the time of day, the weather and the seasons, in the immediate vicinity. This play of light creates an experience for the viewer and grounds the sculpture as a landmark, marking its location, our position and time. It highlights the ever-changing environment around the object: the sculpture’s apertures act as windows framing the present 
ever-changing moments of life around the sculpture and historical moments using transparent images within some of the windows. 

PROJECT DETAILS

Firebrand reached out to Carvel to help with the creation of a concept model and photo realistic renderings for the initial proposal. Once awarded, Firebrand engaged Carvel to continue with the design, fabrication and the installation of the artwork. The structure was painstakingly crafted out of 316L stainless steel. The expertly TIG welded frame was 100% visually inspected and 1/3rd dye penetrate inspected and passed. Once complete the structure was media blasted and passivized to give a uniform and tarnish free finish.