Monday Mischief 17: Calgary Blue Itself
October 20, 2013 12 Comments
Public art has once again started controversy in Calgary.
I’d written before about the Peace Bridge, which I like a lot and is growing into a city icon. And now there’s something new stirring up similar opinions about cost and aesthetics.
It’s called Travelling Light, but is better known as the “big blue ring”. So I decided Moses and I should check out what was behind all the ruckus.
Moses and the blue ring
Now, I’m not entirely certain it’s the best we could’ve got for the price tag, but if you watch this video produced by the city and the creators of the ring, you can really understand how it came to be.
Travelling Light
But whether or not I like it, I also have trouble getting worked up about it too, and I know there are lots of Calgarians out there with nothing nice to say about the blue ring.
But regardless of whether I like every installation, I will always support the public art budget and support iconic pieces being placed around the city.
Moses – maybe the first dog to sit on the new art (was a tight fit)
And then, since we’d already driven across the city solely so I could make an Arrested Development pun in my title (c’mon, you’d known all along)…
… I decided it was a good opportunity to check out a park we’ve never been to, and did the day’s walk at Confluence Park.
Turned out to be a great place for a walk – very quiet and not very busy – but the constant planes taking off regularly ruined the serenity, since it’s rather close to the airport.
The park has a creek running through it, though, so it automatically gets Moses’ seal of approval.
This post is part of the Mischief Monday blog hop – to see what everyone else has been up to, click here, here, or here.
About ThatJenK
Back Alley Soapbox 
Maybe it’ll travel somewhere else when nobody is looking…
I’m not a fan of the blue ring either but I agree with you on the importance of public art.
I guess anything could be called art. 🙂 The park is very beautiful.
It is different. Stuff like that always draws peoples views from both sides.
I think the ring is kinda cool, especially when decorated with Moses! 🙂
Wags to all,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
I bet if Moses was apart of it all the time it would be a bigger hit!
I’m all for public art. And love the pun! We have penguins in Tulsa. Big penguins. All over town.
We do love the blue ring. It seems to have a lot of different interpretations for people to think about instead of thinking about their own problems. We are big supporters of public art.
It’s quite a lovely piece. People do get up in arms about “simple” art, though. “I can’t believe we paid XX for a big blue circle!” I can hear it from here.
Our town has dome some interesting semi-permanent art lately, but I haven’t heard anybody discuss it for good or for ill.
I’m not sure we even have public art down here, so I commend your city for any effort that is made. As we are a diverse group of beings, I’m not surprised that some like it and some don’t.
You drew me in with the Arrested Development reference. You kept me there with public art and puppies. 🙂
Twelve years ago, our town put modern art on the supports of a new bridge. It created nasty controversy. Newly arrived from Philadelphia which struggled with a high murder rate, terrible schools, and thousands of homeless people, I figured Ithaca was so prosperous it didn’t have anything important to get upset about.
BTW, about a year after the bridge was built, everyone stopped the bickering.
Who knows. Maybe someday Calgary will love the blue ring. I think it’s quite stunning.
Ooooh…I like the park. I am not that worked up about the blue ring either. I understand it needs to be lit but the lights sprouting from the top are kind of weird looking.