Monday, January 3, 2011

Spirit Catcher/ My World

Spirit Catcher, Barrie, Ontario

Inspired by the First Nation myth of the Thunderbird -- who carries desires and dreams to the Creator -- sculptor Ron Baird created the Spirit Catcher for Expo '86 held in Vancouver.

16 kinetic quills rock in the wind

In 1987 the 21-metre (65-feet) tall, 20-tonne non-corrosive-steel sculpture was transported to Barrie on two flatbed trucks.  It now stands on Kempenfelt Bay's waterfront on Lake Simcoe.


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43 comments:

Kathy said...

I think it's absolutely beautiful.

Snap said...

Wonderful!

Anonymous said...

It has a certain charm, but does it work?

Have a nice day, Boonie

Annelie said...

I cant´make up my mind, if I like it or not...
But I can understand it´s an experience to see it in real life!

Kate said...

What a great image; so symbolic and so beautiful!!

Shammickite said...

A great view of the sculpture.
There's another Ron Baird sculpture here in Stouffville.

Small City Scenes said...

Pretty cool sculpture. I really like it.

BTW: Thanks for the nice comment onmy blog. MB

George said...

This is a beautiful sculpture. I really like the way it evokes the image of the thunderbird.

Wanda said...

Makes me think of a "dream catcher" a friend made for me years ago.

Shammickite said...

"NUTUM" is located outside the Latcham Gallery (the old Library building) in Stouffville. I find it fascinating, it's HUGE and balances on a high stand and sways with the wind. I expect it to come crashing down at any minute but it never does.
I heard that another Baird piece "ANGEL" was supposed to be installed in 2010 in Stouffville as part of the Sculpture Walk by the creek. Hasn't arrived yet!

Shammickite said...

I went to Ron Baird's house as part of the Uxbridge Artist Studio Tour a couple of years ago.... fabulous!

Carver said...

I love the spirit catcher. Great shots.

Sylvia K said...

What a gorgeous sculpture! I do love the Spirit Catcher and your photos are superb as always! Hope you have a great week!

Sylvia

Christina, Sweden said...

a mighty sculpture, very nice

RedPat said...

Great shots! Super sculpture.

Cezar and Léia said...

What a delightful piece of work and its name is very intriguing!
God bless you!
Cezar

Francisca said...

There is something very rugged and masculine about this sculpture, and yet Spirit Catcher evokes the gentle, more feminine to me... [EG, did you mean to link with MyWorld instead of Watery Wednesday? :-) ]

VP said...

Literally awesome!

Mike B. @ slugyard.com said...

That is an amazing sculpture- would be nice to have that around here to view.

Kay L. Davies said...

Wonderful. And I didn't see it at Expo 86, even though I was still living in the Vancouver suburbs at the time. Everyone I knew had gone, and reported huge crowds and long line-ups. So I held onto my Season Pass and waited for the crowds to thin.
They never did.
Thanks for these beautiful photos to show me yet another experience I missed in '86.
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Unknown said...

Great piece of art isn't it? Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River.

Penelope Notes said...

I was at Expo ’86 and had a wonderful time. I don’t recall the Spirit Catcher but I absolutely love the concept and the pure lines of what looks like outstretched wings. Thank you for bringing back all those good memories.

Photo Cache said...

what a beautiful sculpture. i like the story behind it too.

happy new year.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

You said that the quills rock in the wind. I would love to see that live. Great photo.

Lowell said...

I LOVE this! And the first shot, in particular, is very powerful - I think it's the person walking that gives a sense of scale.

Thanks for Googling "Morse Guns." I had no idea. I thought it was just another of The Villages pretenses of being old...well, I guess it is, but still has some meaning.

Samson said...

that's a huge structure, impressive

Happy New Year

Unknown said...

I love it. I wonder how many people don't. Public art can't always please everyone, I guess. To my eye, I love its symetry and lines, especially against the blue sky.

Reader Wil said...

This is amodern and still a very impressive sculpture which reminds me of an ancient weapon from far before the dark ages.
Great and happy 2011!

Al said...

That's a very interesting, and large, sculpture. I think I'd need to see it in real life to get the full impact.

Paulie said...

What a magnificent sculpture!

SandyCarlson said...

That is incredible. Amazing. Inspiring.

Anonymous said...

I like it, both as art and for its symbolism. Great photos!

Regina said...

Awesome captures!
Happy New Year. Cheers.
Regards.

Randy said...

This is by far one of my new favorite sculptures. That really is amazing.

Leif Hagen said...

A very unusual, huge, impressive piece of metal artwork!

Unknown said...

what an awesome sculpture! i like it.

Yoshi said...

Cool photo. You captured the great sculpture, though I am afraid of sharp and cannot imagine passing under it:) Are these knives fixed firmly???
Thanks for sharing and commenting on my entry!
Yoshi

BraCom said...

Beautiful My World Tuesday posting

Happy New Year and have a nice week,
Greetings, Bram

Link to My Word Tuesday post!

Seen on My World Tuesday

Nabeel said...

For some reason this reminds me of Matrix Revolutions. Do you know which scene I am referring to?

Anonymous said...

What a stunning sculpture - reminds me of a great eagle about to take off.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Impressive sculpture and such an interesting story == actually, two stories -- the myth it represents AND its history and the way it was moved.

Crafty Green Poet said...

that's a stunning sculpture

Dina said...

The legend, the idea, the art -- it's all fabulous!

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.