Impressive new sculpture, titled “Circle of Life”, created under the Vaughan City-Wide Public Art Program creates pathway for pedestrians to rethink the use of public space.
Toronto, ON (September 16, 2024) – On September 12, The Daniels Corporation (Daniels), and BAIF Developments (BAIF) celebrated the official unveiling of a new public art installation titled, “Circle of Life” at The Thornhill, the newest master-planned community in the City of Vaughan, built by Daniels in partnership with BAIF.
The installation is a 16 feet wide and 35 feet long installation which includes two stainless steel cut panels —each 4.5 feet tall and 16 feet long— and seven boulders. The two stainless steel sections form a mirror-like brushed surface screen across the façade of The Thornhill’s public sidewalk at the corner of Bathurst Street and Beverley Glen Boulevard.
Created by Edward Pien, a Toronto-based Canadian Artist and Jay Soule, an Indigenous Artist from the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation (Deshkaan Ziibing Anishinaabeg), the sculpture represents a fast-flowing river replete with salmon swimming and jumping upstream and is purposefully accompanied by the seven river boulders, each inscribed with an image and a word in Anishinaabe and English representing one of the seven elements, acknowledging the seven ancestral teachings that aid in walking through the world in a positive way. Intentionally designed to create a pathway for pedestrians to become part of the flow of the sculpture and history of the place, the sculpture creates a remarkable aesthetic presence and acts as a teaching tool, reminding us to reflect on our past, honour the present and take care of the lands and waters for future generations.