Sculpture to Bloom on Calgary's St. Patrick's Island

A massive sculpture is about to blossom on St. Patrick's Island calledBloom.

• Beach in the plans for St. Patrick's Island
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The sculpture, which will look likestreet lights fused together in the shape of a flower,will tower over the revitalized park near the Calgary Zoo.

"It's a kind of natural element. Itlooks a little bit like flowers put together," saidMontreal-based artist Michel deBroin.

At 23 meters in height, the roughly $500,000sculpture will be visible from many points in the downtown core.

"You want to create landmarks. You want to make this place memorable. And how do you do that? There's no recipe. There's no clear way to do that. So, you try things," said deBroin.

He says Bloom was inspired by the encounter between the natural landscape of St. Patrick's Island and the cityscape thatsurrounds it.

"It's showing all different possibilities of direction, a little bit like a compass," said de Broin.

He welcomes the debate public art installations often provoke.

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"I think it's good. You knowart is not there to please people.Art is there to bring people somewhere they don't know yet. It's challenging and it's OKif people feel challenged, and it's OKif they don't like it. It's better when they like it but sometimes it takes time."

$20M revitalization for downtownpark

The park revitalization is being overseen by the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC).Spokesperson Susan Veres says the lighting provided by the sculpture will alleviate security concerns in the somewhat secluded park.

"Nobody wanted to go there. It was a scary place," she said.

Veres says the park will have running and biking trails as well as an amphitheatre, and kids will be able to cool off in the Bow River.

"We've opened a breachchannel in the Bow River so children can get in it in the summer months and play," she said.

Veres says the entire redevelopmentproject is pegged at $20 million, saying "$500,000is not insignificantbut it's not a lot of money" in the overall context.

"And I think the addition of art on the island is all the more reason to see the island and use the island," she said.

The CMLCis funding the sculpture through property taxes collected from new developments in the East Village.The park is scheduled to open at the end of July.