New Vancouver public artwork by Swedish artist Henrik Håkansson unveiled
A Rock Divided was commissioned by esteemed architect Kengo Kuma for new Alberni building, which will also house new Japanese restaurant
A Rock Divided. Photo byEma Peter, courtesy of Westbank.
THERE’S A NEW piece of public art catching people’s eyes in downtown Vancouver. A Rock Divided by Swedish artist Henrik Håkansson was commissioned for a new residential tower called Alberni by leading contemporary Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
A Rock Divided consists of a 6,000-pound granite boulder excavated from a quarry near Squamish B.C. that is cut into four equal sections sandwiched between panes of three-quarter-inch tempered glass. The intersecting glass creates a plinth, with the boulder suspended at eye level.
The rock and its reflection float, “as if mirroring the moving planet, an expression of the measure of time, weight and value, contrasting with its surroundings and the sky to create its own unique ecology”, according to a release. “The work seeks to reflect the seemingly static yet ever-changing relationship between the climate and our physical environment.”
Håkansson, who splits his time between Berlin, Germany, and Falkenberg, Sweden, has been exhibiting internationally since 1993. His new work was unveiled on May 10 during a ceremony that featured a performance by American-Japanese-Korean pianist Rachel Naomi Kudo.
Aburi Hana Vancouver.
It will also house the forthcoming Aburi Hana Vancouver. The restaurant by Aburi Restaurants Canada and Westbank features the same fine-dining ethos as Aburi's Michelin-star Aburi Hana in Toronto. At the same time, it will redefine what the group calls "washoku", or Japanese food culture, by harmoniously incorporating Japanese ingredients, seasonings, and cooking methods alongside local elements. The restaurant group has recruited a soon-to-be announced renowned chef from Japan to helm Aburi Hana Vancouver, who most recently served as sous chef at a Michelin two-star establishment. Next door and down the road, a second project by Aburi Restaurants Canada and Westbank will be added.
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