The Four Seasons of Movement (2020)

Janet Wang

7191 Granville Ave

Area: City Centre
Location: Four Seasons of Movement fencing encircles the entire Minoru Track in Minoru Park.

Materials: LaceFence chain link fence (galvanized steel)

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

Description of Work

The enclosing fence for the Clement Track is created from the architectural fabric LaceFence, using varying pattern densities of chain link to replicate an image. The fence design is composed of four repeating panels representing each season at the track and around Minoru Park, as well as two panels of abstract designs derived from the elements of the track itself. The repeating pattern cycles counter-clockwise from inside the fence to work with the track users’ motion, or can be read more traditionally left-to-right from the exterior of the track.

Artist Statement

This work’s theme of motion was captured with a playful mix of history and the current narratives found around the Clement Track and Field and larger Minoru Park. The representation of the four seasons of the year and the use of figurative movement and linear elements was used to illustrate movement and the diversity of park activities. The four multiples of panels begin in the spring and end with the winter, with an interplay between past and present, and different activities throughout the year.

The artist process began with site visits to the track, sketching and documenting vignettes from the park users and enriched by archival images found in the City collection. The sketches were translated into vector images that could then be interpreted by the fabricators as different densities of chain link to create the architectural fabric encircling Clement Track. The drawings acknowledge the past of this park – the first flight in British Columbia in 1910 took place here, as well as Minoru Park's storied history of horse racing. The artist drew from her own memories of swimming in the pool, wobbling around on the ice at Minoru Arena, racing around the park with my family on a sunny afternoon and watching track meets from the grandstand.

In this cycle of seasons, I hope that everyone can connect to or find themselves in these stories of a community in motion.