I feel so frustrated at all I’ve seen and all I’ve read regarding the Vancouver Bienniale that Squamish, I think, unwisely agreed to participate in.
Firstly, I fail to see how Squamish benefitted at all from this process. The final piece of public “art” is causing an uproar. While public art is supposed to create conversation, I don’t think it’s supposed to just make people talk because they are so unhappy.
Let’s focus on the final work of art. I can’t even write that with a straight face. It’s not art. “Blue Trees.” This man is getting paid $30,000. Now, I think he’s getting paid $30,000 for all three locations where these blue trees will be displayed, New Westiminster, Park Royal and Squamish. From the information I can find, this man is going to oversee volunteers while they paint 50 to 100 trees at each location. Each location is going to take three to five hours of volunteer time. So the “artist” will gross approximately $2,000 an hour. Cost of materials: $0, as the trees are already there. Cost of paint or dye: nominal. Paint isn’t expensive. Cost of labour: again $0. It’s all volunteers.
Pretty nice job if you can get it, right? Now, he goes from town to town and repeats this over and over again. So it’s not even original.
He says it’s to represent trees as the lungs of the world. Yet I see it showing children it’s OK to disrespect nature. What’s the difference between painting 100 trees blue and painting “Grad 2015” in graffiti letters on the side of the Stawamus Chief?
What are these trees going to look like as they grow and the paint fades? What will we be left with?
All I can say is this man must have a silver tongue. To be able to travel the world and con people out of thousands of dollars and get them to do the labour for you, repeating the same thing over and over in every location. How can he be anything but a gifted salesman?
I have strong opinions on all the rest of the works, but, for now, I will leave it at this: Squamish got screwed.
Gail Christopher
Squamish
