Eyes on Arts Court

Paula Kelsall

If you’ve crossed the Mackenzie King Bridge going toward Sandy Hill lately, especially at night or on a dark day, you’ve probably noticed the large video screen on top of the Arts Court building above SAW, where a continually changing series of human eyes looks out over Nicholas St. It’s striking to see watchful, blinking eyes hovering above the city, but there’s another aspect to the work that isn’t apparent from a distance: if you enter Arts Court by the main staircase on Daly Ave., you will find a niche in the lobby with a chair and a video screen. If you sit down in the chair, you will see an aerial view of the SAW courtyard on the screen.

Meanwhile, an image of your eyes will be captured, and you will join the ranks of celestial observers. The installation is called “Spectator”. The work, by Brooklyn-based artist Adam Frank, was the winner of an international public art competition sponsored by the City of Ottawa. Under the City’s Public Art Policy, one percent of money spent on municipal development projects is set aside for public art. This policy brought us “Spectator” as part of the recent redevelopment of Arts Court and the Ottawa Art Gallery. The City describes “Spectator” as “a dynamic, living portrait of its community.” Meanwhile, on the ground below “Spectator,” the frame for a new pergola was recently installed in the SAW courtyard. The culmination of three years of fundraising, the pergola will have a retractable roof that will make the courtyard a much more reliable space for outdoor events like festivals, film screenings, concerts and artists’ markets. SAW Curator Jason St-Laurent notes that organizations that are holding events at SAW will no longer have to rent tents or make contingency plans to move indoors in case of rain. There are also plans to change the landscaping around the sides of the courtyard, to provide more grassy areas for spectators on fine summer evenings.