Saffron (S, M, L) (2012)

Nancy Chew , Jacqueline Metz

8600 Park Road

Area: City Centre
Location: From the Eckersley Road entrance, in the fountain ponds on either side of the stairs.

Materials: aluminum, Duranar baked enamel, stainless steel stems and base plates

Program: Private
Ownership: Private
Sponsored By: Ledingham McAllister Properties Ltd.

Description of Work

Set into the pools either side of the stairs are colourful forms that suggest the asian lotus flower of purity and enlightenment or the familiar waterlily of local gardens. Each blossom is the colour of saffron spice - a symbol of joy and good luck. The artwork is integrated into the waterfalls, the textured dark stone a dramatic backdrop for the field of rich red objects, the blossoms cascading in a series of tiers. Scattered between the blossoms in the lower pools are bubblers.

Artist Statement

The blossoms are duplicates, as though from an industrial production line. Each seemingly organic flower is identical in form and colour - cut from aluminum plate, rolled, welded, and coloured with semi-gloss baked enamel. Each one sits just above the surface of the water, the water forming a datum line. They are placed so that each flower is at exactly the same angle. Together, the repetitive qualities form a tension with the seemingly organic, and with the viewer’s memories of watergardens.

On one level a colourful and playful work, Saffron (S, M, L) is easily understood by a child, yet it can be read as a reflection on the world around us, on duplication, mass production, and consumerism.