In the spirit of feeling homesick during this Thanksgiving break since I did not go back to Canada, I wanted to dedicate this blog post to one of my favorite public artworks in Vancouver. Barrie Mowatt, the founder and artistic director of Vancouver Biennale, worked with artists to transform neighborhoods in Vancouver to be more artistic, one of them being with Cosimo Cavallaro for a project called “Love Your Bean.”
Mowatt said they are “using art as a catalyst for engaging community to make more engaged neighborhoods,” and this project helps everyone “find the kid within.” This project reminded me of the Artist Intervention assignment we have where we have to create artwork for a public space that interacts with its audience and expresses something that prompts people to reexamine their assumptions. I was first introduced to these beans during a field trip to see different mural art in downtown Vancouver in my History class. These aren’t your regular beans – they are enormous (4 feet 6 inches x 9 feet x 4 feet), each weighing around 700 pounds. The first time I saw them, I, along with the other kids in my class, rushed to tackle the beans. We scaled its slippery walls, gripping any surface with friction and helping each other up to the top. Nothing beats the triumphant feeling of achieving the remarkable feat of sitting on top of those beans to overlook the park. Since then, every time I walked past Charleson Park and saw these beans, I couldn’t help but smile. They are just so colorful, whimsical, and so endearingly out of place, and they serve as a reminder that art can be just as wonderful outside of the walls of museums. I can’t wait to revisit them this winter break, this time covered with a layer of snow.
Here is how Cavallaro himself describes “Love Your Bean:”
“The sculptures in Love Your Bean break the boundaries that exist between objects and humans. They compel one to touch them, crossing borders when you allow yourself to be led by your senses. Love Your Bean is a simple shape that is easily understood as a womb, a place of comfort where one seeks solace. Open borders is an acceptance of one’s self, allowing yourself to exist without judgement.”
What are some of your favorite community art projects?
1 Comment
Cindy Xu · November 29, 2021 at 1:07 am
One of my favorite public art pieces would definitely have to be the (also bean-inspired) Bean in Millennium Park, Chicago! There’s something so whimsical and inviting about that sculpture, and it’s undoubtedly one of the most iconic public sculptures in the US. 🙂
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