The $ 700,000 sculpture, called Wishing Well, was first erected in front of the Genesis Center of Community Wellness in Northeastern Calgary in 2012. One sunny day in 2014, the polished stainless steel sculpture sang of a visitor’s jacket as they stood inside and admired the work. The city then removed the sculpture for security reasons. After eight years in a dark warehouse, away from public view, the sculpture is back. This time it is in Bridgeland. Ensuring a safe return for the sculpture has not been easy, said Julie Yepishina-Geller, a public art association for the city of Calgary. Extensive testing in a controlled laboratory environment and consultation with the San Francisco Living Lens artist team was required. “[Living Lenses] “He really came to the table,” he said. “Their main goal was to return this piece to the public sphere, like ours.” The Wishing Well sculpture has been in storage since 2014, after it pulled a spectator’s jacket when the sun reflected on the stainless steel surface. (Submitted by the City of Calgary) The two polished stainless steel hemispheres were initially reflective inside and out, placing an equally reflective sphere in between, so officials chose to blur the inside. To further reduce the risk of a hot encounter, Yepishina-Geller said the sculpture was placed at a 20-degree angle. Then there was the issue of location. The Wishing Well is an incredibly heavy piece, weighing 2,200 kg, so an indoor space was not possible. The Bridgeland site appeared there. Thanks to a private-public partnership with developer JEMM Properties, moving and installing the sculpture will not cost the Calgarians more taxes and it is now located in a public outdoor square with seats. The city said it did extensive testing in a controlled laboratory setting before the sculpture was re-exposed. (Submitted by the City of Calgary) Upon its return, Wishing Well acquired some new technology. Guests can send text messages to 1-587-327-9939 in the form of a greeting or wish. The words from the messages are processed into braille text dots that play music, sounds and voices that can be heard if you are standing inside the sculpture. Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra said the return of the sculpture is an example of how Calgary’s public art program has matured in recent years. “A strong field of arts and culture, a public sphere blurred by thought-provoking public art, pays dividends whether socially or economically,” Carra said.
Public works of art are coming to northeastern Calgary
While the new Wishing Well site is still technically located in the northeastern quarter of Calgary, there is a desire for more public art in the area. The removal and relocation of the sculpture sparked a debate about what public art should look like in northeastern Calgary. The spot where Wishing Well was located in front of the Genesis Center has been left empty. But Yepishina-Geller said there are initiatives on the way to fill this gap. “There will be a lot of small-scale projects, including one at the Genesis Center that will be installed over the next two years,” said Yepishina-Geller. “We are currently in the process of commissioning an artist for this.”
