Things I Knew To Be True is a meditation on the passing of knowledge, and the compounding transformations of meaning that accrue in the processes of translation, interpretation, and understanding. Composed of eight hundred twenty two plates of salvaged steel plasma-cut to evoke a written language — the characters of which take the form of abstracted human figures — it is a handmade manuscript of the artist’s own reflections on the passage of time, life and death. Exhibited as a wall-mounted monumental paragraph, Things I Knew To Be True is a fluid and unverifiable chronicle into which each reader will read their own story. This work is made from recycled steel salvaged from industrial oilfield fabrication. All plasma-cutting and welding involved in the creation of this work was powered by solar energy. View EPL Milner’s introductory video to the Capital City art collection, including a brief interview with Peter von Tiesenhausen, here.

Peter von Tiesenhausen

Peter von Tiesenhausen’s multidisciplinary practice includes painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, installation, video and performance. He studied at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, AB, and has exhibited widely, nationally and internationally. Von Tiesenhausen is best known for his large-scale outdoor artworks, and his use of natural materials and natural forces, notably fire, as tools for changing the conditions and contexts of his artworks. He has created several permanent and ephemeral public artworks throughout North America and Europe. Because of his environmental concerns, Von Tiesenhausen’s work frequently deals with the impact humans have on the environment, and uses his artistic practice as a type of environmental activism. The land where he lives in Demmitt, AB, constitutes his primary and ongoing artworks, and in 1995 he claimed copyright over the land. On several occasions, he has been successful at defending this artwork against the incursions of multinational corporate interests. His numerous solo and group exhibitions have been widely reviewed and the subject of three national television documentaries, including a one-hour award winning film ​“Elemental”, produced in 2000 for ​“Adrienne Clarkson Presents”.

This highly detailed aluminum sculpture portrays a figure with a thermos, a lunch pail and a cigar in his hand. At a glance, he is often mistaken for a real person relaxing on a bench. To create a sculpture with such verisimilitude, the artist made casts of clothed mannequins. Seward’s choice to place the sculpture at eye level marks a shift from the commemorative heroic sculptures popular in Edmonton at the time. He has eliminated the pedestal and made his subject a common working class man, in this case a carpenter on his lunchbreak. The sculpture could be interpreted to promote egalitarianism and show the equality of all people independent of class.

John Seward Johnson

John Seward Johnson Jr. was born in 1930 in New York, and is the heir to the famous Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals company. He also owns and operates the Johnson Atelier bronze foundry, where he has fabricated sculpture for other artists since 1979.

He is best known for his sculptures of ordinary people in contemporary life situations, celebrating the simplest human acts and attitudes. 

More than 250 of Johnson’s life-size cast bronze figures have been featured in private collections and museums around the world.

_​Turbulent_​is inspired by the swirling forms, and twisting, turning shapes that appear along the edges of water currents. Located within the proposed seating area north of the Promenade portion of the River Access, the integrated art installation adds a simple sculptural layer to the linear concrete benches planned for this area. The installation offers a unique and playful opportunity for pedestrians to pause, sit, lounge, have a face to face conversation with a friend or even experience a chance meeting with a stranger. The installation consists of thin ribbons of vibrantly painted metal that will float above the flat upper concrete bench surfaces: rippling, curving and undulating dynamically along their length to create a secondary inhabitable layer for people that is distinctly different in character from the architectural forms of the rest of the Mechanized Access project. The ribbons will be painted a brilliant turquoise colour on their upper side and a softer hue on their base side that will increase the three dimensionality of the installation, and also help make this seating area a dynamic and visible focal point for travelers.

Jill Anholt

Jill Anholt Studio Inc. is a creative practice based in Vancouver, BC that is focused on the creation of art in public places. Its founder and principal, Jill Anholt established the practice in 1998. Jill has won numerous competitions for commissions to create artworks in a variety of public spaces throughout North America. Her work has received many national and international awards and has been published in books, magazines and newspapers around the world. Jill has been an invited speaker at educational institutions and creative conferences in cities across Canada and the US and was also invited to serve on the Urban Design Awards jury for the City of Edmonton in 2013.

Current projects include two of the largest integrated public art works ever built in Canada within the new design of Lansdowne Park in Ottawa including both a sculptural work with a programmable digital surface (Moving Surfaces) and an interactive water-based work currently under construction (Uplift). Jill also recently completed the installation of a series of iconically scaled integrated works for a new park along Toronto’s waterfront. The work, entitled Light Showers, which contains a lighting component activated by user movement, is highly visible from Lake Ontario, the Gardiner Expressway and many other points distant to the site. The sculptures have become a notable marker in the city that both express Toronto’s sustainable aspirations and form a highly visible gateway to the newly envisioned waterfront. Along with her artistic practice, Jill is also an Instructor at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver and a Public Art Strategist who has created Public Art Master Plans for a number of new developments and facilities in both Canada and the United States.

Artist Terry Frost conceived his design around the idea of directing water’s natural flow through various situations to create effects for all seasons. The water is therefore a significant component of the sculpture rather than being a backdrop. The LED lights join the upper and lower pools, and interact with the waterfall. These rods of pure light are activated by motion sensors at the edge of the pool. *Sponsoring Partner:* EPCOR, EDMONTON 2004 *The Places Founding and Ongoing Partners:* Edmonton Journal, The City of Edmonton, Downtown Business Association, The Edmonton Business Council for Visual Arts

Terry Frost

Award-winning architect Terry Frost says ​“Asked whether I’m an artist or an architect, I reply, I’m a designer. Though I see my creative energies continually pushing boundaries, I’m consistently seeking to bring harmony between structure and environment.”

Beyond architecture, Frost designs furniture, workstations, display systems, landscape products, signage, lighting, and building systems. He has published papers and lectures. 

Awards include: American Institute of Architects’ Design Award. City of Edmonton Architectural Award. 1988 — designed $40,000,000 Edmonton City Hall as Project Design Architect — earned the Edmonton Urban Design Review Panel Award of Excellence. Two-time ​“Best in the West” Design Award from Western Living magazine…Award of Merit from the Alberta Association of Architects.

_​Migratory Paths_​celebrates the many migrations in this area, including the north south movement of animals, humans and birds, from prehistoric to contemporary times. This suspended flock of hand-formed birds references the seasonal migratory paths of many species of birds traveling through the Edmonton area, and speaks to the ecological practices that the Edmonton Convention Center embraces in its day-to-day operations. The artist was inspired by the Central Migratory Flyway, a predominately nocturnal aerial highway where tens of thousands of birds fly unseen over and above Edmonton in the night skies. This formation of thousands of birds intimates the diverse groups of people who circulate, gather and meet through the Convention Center.

Catherine Ross

Catherine Ross was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and holds a diploma in Fine Arts from Grant MacEwan and a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. In 1989, she accepted a technical position at the University of Lethbridge where she worked as the Facilities Manager in the Art Department and re-developed the department’s art studios and workshops until her retirement in 2016. Joy and excitement drive her practice as she explores the materials, ideas, processes and techniques of art and art making. Ross creates sculptural works that are accessible, intelligent, and beautiful, that give joy and excitement to the viewer.

This installation consists of five standing sculptures inspired by how children freely interpret and imagine the world through play. The tree-like quality suggests the idea of a magical forest, while the ambiguity of the gestural forms allows for other interpretations, such as tentacles, snakes, arms, etc. The openness of the design encourages active and imaginative play in a non-prescribed way and creates a stage for children and people of all ages to create a world around them. The colour palette and design are bold and contemporary, giving the artwork an urban look and making it engaging for all ages. This child-friendly project is a collaboration between the Edmonton Arts Council, local artists, the Child Friendly Edmonton Initiative to involve children living in Edmonton in ways to use art to incorporate playful, child-friendly components within the Civic Precinct. Two locations in the Civic Precinct will include public art pieces that encourage play. These pieces will be installed during the construction of two projects in this area. 1. East Gardens – east side of Churchill Square 2. Centennial Plaza – south of Stanley A. Milner Library The final design for the permanent public child-friendly artwork explores the idea of connection through a set of two sculptures that evoke both nature and whimsical imagery. The sculptures complement each other and connect the two spaces. For more information and updates about the project in progress, please visit the City of Edmonton’s site.

Erin Pankratz & Christian Pérès Gibaut

A professional artist team with more than 10 years of experience in public art, integrating artwork into architectural projects, and creating customized community and team building experiences.

Erin Pankratz (erin​pankratz​.com) was born in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Her body of work includes murals, contemporary mosaics, public art, residential and corporate commissions, and collaborative projects. Two-time SAMA’s Innovation in Mosaic Award winner, she has exhibited in France, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Canada, and the United States. She lives and works in Edmonton, Alberta.

Christian Pérès Gibaut (chris​tian​peres​gibaut​.com) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His body of work includes paintings, murals, mosaics, public art, and collaborative projects. A recipient of the 2019 Cultural Diversity in the Arts grant, he has worked and exhibited in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Canada, Colombia, France, Mexico, Uruguay, and the United States. He lives and works in Edmonton, Alberta.