Sight Works (2010)

Javier Campos , Elspeth Pratt

Richmond Olympic Oval, 6111 River Rd.

Area: Olympic Oval Precinct
Location: The wood and steel viewing platforms located along the dyke, north of the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Materials: Wood and steel.

Program: Civic
Ownership: Civic
Sponsored By: City of Richmond

Description of Work

The alluvial seat wall is made of cast-in-place concrete and cast in an accretion of pours that reflect the sedimentary nature of the alluvial flood plain. The river platforms are made of weathering steel and wood, which integrate with the weathered dyke, the natural landscape and the river.

Artist Statement

"Sight Works" is integrated into the landscape. It serves as a walkway, a bench and a viewing platform for the land and river environs.

Running the length of the artwork is the “seatwall”, reflecting the laying down of alluvium. It provides reasons for people to naturally gravitate to, and spaces in which to temporarily linger, play, sit, rest and reflect.

This seatwall is interrupted by a series of river platforms whose configurations reflect the terrain and artifacts that accumulate on the river’s edge. The platforms strengthen the relationship of the viewer to these typically overlooked shoreline elements, and to predetermined objects in the distance. By isolating the experience of these elements, a new and stronger relationship will be established that will bring on a deeper appreciation and connection to the river and dyke. This immediacy of perception of the flora and fauna supported by the dyke, of the transformative processes of the river and the shoreline, and of the accretion of materials brought by the flow of the river to the ocean, will engage viewers and allow them to comprehend the site.