Di-Octo II<\/i>, created by renowned American artist Anthony Howe, was unveiled on Mackay St. and De Maisonneuve Blvd. W. by Concordia University.<\/p>\n
Chancellor, business leader and philanthropist Jonathan Wener and wife Susan donate next-generation, eight-metre-high kinetic sculpture to city and Concordia for Montreal\u2019s 375th and Canada\u2019s 150th anniversaries.\u00a0The towering new\u00a0Di-Octo<\/i>\u00a0sculpture on Sir-George-Williams campus outside the southwest corner of Concordia\u2019s Henry F. Hall Building is unique and enthralling.\u00a0The piece comes alive as the wind blows, swallowing and reopening of its stainless-steel tentacles ad infinitum. Its outstretched arms welcome students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors to Concordia. It only takes two kilometres an hour of wind to activate its moving parts \u2014 and it works in near complete silence.<\/p>\n
Concordia President Alan Shepard is grateful for the distinctive artwork. \u201cJonathan and Susan Wener have given our university, city and province an exceptional, next generation artwork,\u201d he says. \u201cDi-Octo<\/i>\u00a0is a striking visual metaphor for Concordia\u2019s strategic direction to embrace our city. This sculpture is a feat of engineering that will allow Concordians and Montrealers to contemplate the role of art in our society. I can watch it from my office and it’s mesmerizing.\u201d\u00a0M. Wener discovered Anthony Howe\u2019s work through his daughter, Katherine (Kassy) Wener, who was given the family mandate to find a sculpture that would be truly inspirational. \u201cShe was as moved and excited as Susan and I were by Anthony Howe\u2019s genius and creativity,\u201d says Wener.\u00a0Coincidentally, Howe\u2019s piece was being fabricated at\u00a0Show Canada, a steelworks company in Laval, Que. Howe and Show Canada were also responsible for the centrepiece cauldrons at the 2016 summer Rio Olympics in Brazil. The Weners visited Show Canada and witnessed the indoor display of\u00a0Di-Octo.<\/i>\u00a0\u201cWhen the sculpture came to life in front of an industrial-strength fan, we were amazed,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was mesmerizing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Welcome addition to public art<\/b><\/p>\n
Clarence Epstein, senior director of urban and cultural affairs at Concordia, says Di-Octo joins a wider public art strategy developed 15 years ago. The university features one of the largest public art collections for a public institution. Examples include Genevieve Cadieux\u2019s\u00a0Lierre sur Pierre<\/i>, the anodized metal vines climbing up Concordia\u2019s John Molson Building\u2019s northern fa\u00e7ade on De Maisonneuve St. There\u2019s also Adad Hannah\u2019s\u00a0Leap<\/i>, the giant image displayed on the glass windows of the PERFORM Centre on the Loyola Campus.<\/p>\n
The addition of Di-Octo<\/em> is a powerful reaffirmation of the role of public art at the university. \u201cThis gift from Jonathan Wener helps Concordia position public art on a major intersection that commands a lot of attention,\u201d Epstein says. \u201cOur university is making a statement about the role of art in its curriculum and its institutional mandate.\u201d<\/p>\n