Alder Revisited

Weathering Steel, Tempered, Laminated Digitally Printed Glass

After photographing a series of Alder trees on South Pender Island, the opportunity to turn this into a sculpture for The Gardens, a condominium development in Richmond, presented itself.  The Alder Revisited, graces the entry to the Gardens park.  Weathering steel ages and patinas to represent the tree trunk and bark while the digitally reproduced leaf canopy catches and shimmers the light transitioning through the leaves.

Project Description

The artwork is located within the Gardens Development (12733 Steveston Hwy and 10780 No. 5 Rd., Richmond, BC), between the Calla and Jasmine buildings.

The sculpture is made up of 6 weathering steel limbs roughly 10’ tall, welded to a steel base, set and connected to the concrete base. The tips are tempered, laminated, low iron glass with a digital image of Alder leaves cantilevering off of the weathering or rusting steel uprights. The steel will rust for a year then the patina process will be complete.

Alder Canopy is a structure derived from a grove of alder trees photographed on South Pender Island. The ‘Gardens’ theme was a guiding light for the concept process for this project and resulted in an elegant form that showcases the beautiful partnership that glass and weathering steel. A stylized and artistically interpreted tree form, which closely resembles first growth Pacific Northwest fir trees blended two of our more indigenous local trees. The weathering steel is a novel play off of the aging of tree bark.” – Joel Berman

Project assisted by designer and artist Bruce Logan, Project Management, James Thompson.

Sponsored By: Townline Gardens Inc.

Contact

Contact Joel through these methods. Providing design, strategy, and management advice for architects, designers, developers, and more.

419-6233 London Road
Richmond, BC Canada V7E 3S3
Tel. No. 604.218.0607
Email joel@joelberman.design

JBGS International photos courtesy Forms+Surfaces.

Other photos by Joel Berman.

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