New public art at Interior Savings Centre is like ‘two rivers’

NEWS — A $130,000 piece of public art is going up in Riverside Park at the Interior Savings Centre roundabout, and it’s a big one.

The 10-metre metal sculpture, called Rivers, is the biggest ever created by artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanass. It represents the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers.

“The figures are like swimmers and they’ll reach their arms out together and almost touch them towards the apex,” Yahgulanass told CFJC News today.

“So, two human figures, two swimmers, two rivers — two solitudes I guess.”

Yahgualanass, a contemporary artist from Haida Gwaii, has said he was conscious of creating the art for a site on traditional Secwepemc territory, and that he adapted traditional Haida style to make them more universal.

Vancouver Sun blogger Kevin Griffin described the sculpture last month: “Called Rivers, the soaring steel and aluminum sculpture is more than 10 metres tall. At the top, representing the two arms of the river, are stylized female swimmers in copper leaf.

“In front and below, curving metal flows like the water in the rivers. The work’s dominant browns and blues represent the colours of the two rivers before they meet to become one and flow west to eventually join the Fraser River.”

The sculpture was created in Delta and shipped to Kamloops for the installation. It was picked by a City committee, a method that was questioned recently in a council meeting, as reported by The Armchair Mayor News.

Coun. Nelly Dever wondered why council hadn’t had a chance to look at it before it was chosen.

“There’s irony that council has input on form and character of a house… but doesn’t see the final form of the art,” Dever.

“I just wanted the public to know that we did not choose it.”