Twenty-four weathervanes in the shape of ships are now moored at the top of the Moody Street Overpass in Port Moody.
The public artwork is the latest addition in the City of the Arts and is the brainchild of Centennial secondary graduate Nathan Lee and his Contexture Design employee Matthew Thomson.
Lee said his Vancouver-based firm won the call to create the $50,000 work that would look over Rocky Point Park and the Port Moody Inlet.
His goal for Knots — a unit of measurement for water and air flow — was to celebrate the natural and industrial history of the municipality.
Through online research and his years growing up in the Tri-Cities, Lee knew Port Moody had more than 40 watersheds, creeks and tributaries draining into the inlet, many of them carrying some 50 different species of fish.
And since the inlet itself is such a hub of activity, Lee wanted to incorporate the boats moving in and out to transport the cargo via the railway network.
As a result of the constant movement, Lee said he wanted to build on that sense of arrival and have a landmark on the rebuilt overpass as a kind of gateway to the park.
Their 24 kinetic aluminum “paper boats” on the overpass are called On Shore Off Shore and are painted white and red, typical colours for hulls and the port (left) side of boats.
However, below On Shore Off Shore, are 10 concrete ships that are partially hidden in the existing storm water swale. “We wanted a little bit of discovery and playfulness, too,” Lee said.
This fall, Knots is expected to be officially unveiled by Mayor Mike Clay and city council once the surrounding planting goes in.
Knots beat out 40 other submissions from around the world, a city spokesperson said, and was selected by a jury made up of five Port Moody residents including two members of the city’s arts and culture committee. That committee as well as city council endorsed the jury’s selection last year.
Lee, who like Thomson has a background in landscape architecture, is no stranger to industrial design and public art. This year, it unveiled its hammocks at Westminster Pier Park in the Royal City, constructed with upcycled fire hoses.
The award-winning company has also showcased its functional pieces at Vancouver’s annual design exhibit IDSwest. Currently, it’s working on public art for North Vancouver.
Knots follows Tidal Wave, a 22’ tall and 3,000 lb. sculpture by Bruce Voyce that was installed last year in front of Port Moody city hall. It was designed to mark the arrival of the first intercontinental train to the city more than 100 years ago.
Funding for that $85,500 project came from the city’s public artwork reserve — with contributions from local developers — plus another $10,000 for the solar night lights.
Last November, city council adopted its public art corporate policy, which includes an annual contribution of $10,000 by the city to the reserve, and an annual allocation of 0.3% from all operating and capital projects.
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