Flaneuring Cycling Art Alley Park Fun

While flaneuring is typically a walking activity, I sometimes like to flaneur while I cycle, as demonstrated one afternoon this past summer.  Wanting to go for bike ride, I decided to just head out and see where the roads and pathways would take me. Soon I found myself cycling along the Bow River pathway near the Pumphouse Theatre where an old pocket art park is getting a facelift.

Approaching Sunalta Art Alley you see this mural.

Pumphouse Art Park

The Pumphouse Theatre is located as the name would suggest in an old pumphouse on the south side of the Bow River near the Crowchild Trail bridge. The Pumphouse building was  built in 1913 as Pumphouse No. 2, a vital water pumping station that served the city until 1967. After being decommissioned, it was saved from demolition by community members, including Joyce Doolittle and the Calgary Youth Drama Society, and became a performing art space in 1977. It was subsequently designated a Canadian Water Landmark by the American Waterworks Association in 1980. 

There have always been a few sculptures in the greenspace just north of the building along the Bow River pathway, but this summer the City added another major artwork and picnic tables to invite cyclists and walkers to stop and linger.

The city has enhanced the where the Bow River pathways links to a pathway south past the Pumphouse Theatres and into Sunalta community.

There is another Guild sandstone sculpture as well as “Amy’s Chair,” a fun bench that combines a bright red metal bench with a rock. The artwork pays homage to Joyce Doolittle’s (a pioneer and champion of contemporary theater in Calgary) daughter Amy who died of ALS as a young adult.

There are also a couple of stone sculptures from the Sandstone Sculptures’ Guild in the park.

The City has also added some new picnic tables on the pathways leading up to the beach volleyball courts.

Sunalta Art Alley (alley north side of 10th Ave SW)

From Pumphouse Art Park, I took the pathway south from the river, over the railway tracks and under the Bow Trail, Crowchild Trail bridges where there is a hidden alley full of murals and graffiti art. This spot has the urban grit that make it a perfect place for Calgary to create a vibrant graffiti alley, a feature popular in many cities. Ideally, it would combine both sanctioned murals with ongoing graffiti art.  Currently, most of the art is on the back of the buildings, but the pillars of the bridges are just waiting for some art in my view.  There is also a City of Calgary roads depot for sand with graffiti painted on its walls, as well as a DIY skateboard park.

My favourite alley mural is the one with two planes emerging from the Yanos Aerospace building. I love it when murals have relevance to the place they are located, rather than just random decoration. But that is just me.

Under the LRT bridge is the Sunalta Art Alley

It consists of a mix of graffiti art and murals.

Yanos Aerospace building.

Central Towers Galleria Art

From the alley I exited the alley near 14th Street SW and headed to the cycle track along 11th Ave SW, where I proceeded east to Central Park Towers, remembering there are several artworks tucked away between the two towers and the alley.

The first piece you see from the street is “Anomaly” by Alex Caldwell, a ring of mirror balloon-like balls that create fun reflections of yourself and the streetscape. It reminds me a bit of Anish Kapoor’s huge, mirror bean-shaped, sculpture “Cloud Gate” aka “The Bean” in Chicago’s Millennium Park.  Anomaly creates a welcoming entrance to the galleria between the two towers, where you will find Blake Senini sculpture, Bradley Harms artwork and a Katie Ohe sculpture.

“Anomaly” by Alex Caldwell

Senini’s sculpture, titled “Drama Queen” looks like a hollowed out tree trunk and has always puzzled me. So, I checked on Herringer Kiss Gallery website (Senini exhibits at the gallery regularly) and found the following explanation:

“Drama Queen” began as a photograph of a Raven balanced on a branch of a tree overlooking the artist’s studio. Senini made a template of the silhouette of the raven and carved it repeatedly, layering each layer over the previous while slightly twisting it to create a twisted raven column. The sculpture was then cast into aluminum to stand the test of time in Calgary’s outdoor environment. When residents of the 100 Park Central look down from their balconies, they will see the image of the raven on its branch, from street level, the sculpture acts a twisting, spinning organic column.”

Senini’s sculpture, titled “Drama Queen”

Only from above can you see the Raven. (photo credit Herringer Kiss Gallery)

To see Bradley Harms’ Untitled artwork, look west up the alley and it is on the wall of the tower. This large, colorful, two-dimensional artwork combines colourfield and abstractions to create a visual experience that is both calming and puzzling for me. While it has a high-tech, glossy look from afar, get up close and it is much more painterly. Perhaps a reminder that what we see in the urban landscape needs to be examined from different perspectives.

Harms’ artwork is 15 feet high and 17 feet wide, it consists of thousands of hand applied line on aluminum panel, no digital programming or machines were involved. To me it has a fun kinetic quality that makes the artwork shimmer even in the low light of the alley.

Ohe, Calgary’s best known sculptor has created a fun fountain-looking sculpture titled “Three Tree,” an 11-foot tall kinetic steel artwork. Bonus, the sculpture will soothingly rock back and forth with a gentle push. Note: Caldwell a student of Ohe, fabricated this sculpture to her precise specifications.   

Kate Ohe’s “Three Trees.”

Ron Moppett’s BIRDHAT/STARTREE, a 15-colour polychrome and stainless steel sculpture adds some child-like fun and colour to Park Central’s galleria entrance off 4th Street SW. It is a playful collage of ambiguous shapes that could be a bird, a leaf, or maybe it is a Christmas tree with a star on the top. Sitting on a high concrete pedestal, it seems like it should twirl around. I love how it encourages you to use your imagination; reminds me a Matisse cut-out.

Ron Moppett’s BIRDHAT/STARTREE

It is interesting to note that 3 of the 5 artworks make reference to trees, given there are not actual trees in in the Galleria.

Heritage Records & Posters

On my way home, heading west along the 11th Ave cycling track I was passing by Heritage Posters & Music store (1316-11th Ave SW) and thought I should drop in. HP&M is a “must visit” spot for any musicophile - the place is jam packed with posters and records. Some Calgary old-timers like me will remember when it was located on 11th Ave at 14th St SW (home to Alberta Real Estate building) and had a mural of the Rolling Stones iconic tongue album “Sticky Fingers” created with records on its north side exterior wall.

Today, now two blocks east, it still has the same bohemian charm, with owner Jerry Keogh providing a wealth of knowledge and stories about Alberta’s music history.  It is a smash-up of ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s memorabilia. A cool time warp psychedelic experience. 

I will let these photos speak for themselves.

Love the front steps.

It doesn’t get more bohemian than this in Calgary. Hmmmm….maybe I should do a blog on Calgary’s bohemian spots!

Last Word

When I arrived home several hours later, I realized I had only ridden about 7 km in total, yet I had four fun experiences – sculpture park, graffiti art alley, galleria and music memorabilia. How great is that!