Flux
Deborah Moss and Edward Lam
The spectacular mobile that hangs in the soaring atrium space at Central Library was created by Canadian artist Deborah Moss and her partner Edward Lam. These internationally renowned artists have been commissioned to design pieces for hotels and restaurants around the world, as well as for Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.
The piece is reminiscent of book pages scattered in mid-air, and it will move and change as people from the community walk by it, and as the light hits it in various ways throughout the day.
"Flux" is made up of 900 strands and about 20,000 individual polycarbonate sheets, each silk-screened with red text to evoke the ink of early printing technology.
- The darkest red sheets contain dense text from the Gutenberg Bible, symbolizing the beginning of print technology.
- Moving higher, the next sheets are less dense and are made up of a conglomerate of text from non-alphabetical scripts, symbolizing multiculturalism and the permeation of knowledge.
- The third shade of red is made up of the phrase Lorem Ipsum. Rooted in Latin culture, these words are used today used as a place holder - in Flux, they symbolize a window onto other expressions.
- The fourth and lightest shade, stretching up toward the natural light, is rendered entirely in the 0s and 1s of the digital era.
Learn more about Flux and the installation process
Enlightenment
Jack Bechtel
In October 1961, the Kitchener Library Board with its architect, Carl Rieder, decided a mural was necessary to complete the ideal library. In January 1962, Kitchener-born artist Jack Bechtel was commissioned to create the mural.
Dozens of experimental drawings were made as the ideas for the theme "Enlightenment” were developed. Three months later, a scaled sketch of the artist's conception was approved. For the following six months, Bechtel would work in the library from closing until dawn, transferring his ever-evolving idea to the wall. It was officially unveiled on November 2nd, 1962.
The final dimensions of the mural are 12 ½ by 36 feet. From commission to completion, the mural represents over nine months of the artist's work. At the time of Bechtel's death in 1966, the mural was considered his best-known work of art.
Learn more about Jack Bechtel and Enlightenment
Haldimand Proclamation, 2020
Alanah Astehtsi Otsistohkwa (Morningstar) Jewell
"Haldimand Proclamation, 2020" highlights the stark contrast between original and current Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.
This piece encourages viewers to reflect on the lands they live and work on, and to remember the original caretakers in this territory. The caretakers not only include Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe and Neutral peoples, but also animal relatives, who are honoured and represented through clan systems.
Many Indigenous families are represented by clan animals, and this honour comes with many responsibilities to our communities, our lands and to ourselves.
