New Westminster’s waterfront home to the largest outdoor art installation in Canada
New Westminster – Residents can discover an impressive new sculpture on the New Westminster Waterfront. With a 160’ footprint and consisting of four forty foot high cube shipping containers cantilevered into the shape of a "W", WOW New Westminster by José Resendé will be the largest of the 2014-2016 Vancouver Biennale installations and the largest site specific outdoor art installation in Canada.
The sculpture has been erected on the New Westminster waterfront at the east end of the Timber Wharf at Westminster Pier Park.
WOW New Westminster by José Resendé will join other Vancouver Biennale installations currently on display in New Westminster: Hugo França’s Public Furniture | Urban Trees, and Konstantin Dimopoulos’s The Blue Trees.
Residents are invited to the official unveiling of the sculpture on November 28 at 11:00am. New Westminster Mayor Johnathan X. Coté, and members of the Vancouver Biennale will lead residents on a walking tour of all three artworks along the waterfront.
“The collaboration between the city and the Vancouver Biennale has been a successful one,” said Mayor Johnathan X. Coté. “The various outdoor installations have created memorable spaces and experiences for both residents and visitors alike.”
WOW New Westminster has steel cables as tie beams, keeping the shipping containers balanced. It is anticipated the piece will provoke conversation around New Westminster’s historic identity as a hub of shipping, industry, and transportation in British Columbia.
“Containers circulate in abundance and are an integral part of the urban landscape of New Westminster,” said José Resendé. “Their presence is an evident index of the city’s vitality.”
The sculpture is a Legacy Artwork, and will remain in New Westminster after the 2014-2016 Vancouver Biennale is over.
Date: Saturday, November 28
Time: Community Celebration and Unveiling 11:00am – 3:00pm
Mayor Cote in attendance for the from 11:00am– 12:00pm
Guided walking tours begin at 11:30am and continue every hour till 2:30pm
Location: Timber Wharf at Westminster Pier Park. Each walking tour starts at WOW New Westminster.
-30-
For further information please contact:
Rob McCullough
Manager, Cultural Services
City of New Westminster
604-527-4639 or