Wind art on the Vancouver Seawall, Doug Taylor’s Khenko
Yesterday was a good day for art that uses the wind. When I was riding with my daughter Mallika I was worried that we were going to be blown off our bikes the wind was blowing so hard. The tailwind was wonderful to have, but riding head long into it was terrible. The waves in English Bay were pretty impressive. We even saw a sail boat that had broken away from its mooring and was beach at Sunset Beach.photo of beached boat
When I was riding to my studio I noticed that the sails of the art piece on the seawall at the foot of George Wainborn Park was taking full advantage of the strong winds. I did some digging on the city of VancouverPublic Art Registry and discover that the work was by Doug Taylor and is called “Khenko”.This what the registry has to say about Doug:
Doug Taylor was born in Chilliwack, BC in 1947. Kinetic in nature, his public nstallation sculpture has focused largely on wind, water and solar powered features. Whimsical, folk art inspired elements are often signature to his work. (e.g. Khenko and Wind Swimmer). Addressing the global challenge of sustainability his current sculptures are “generating capital ” by selling excess electrical power back to BC Hydro. These energy systems also feature listening stations which help remind us of sounds that are ever present in the natural world, but often unnoticed (e.g. Seattle Center’s Bird Song Listening Station). Whimsical, folk art inspired elements are often signature to his work (e.g. Khenko and Wind Swimmer). The challenge is to integrate ecological, historical, social and aesthetic considerations, contextualizing them into the site specific values of place.
Artist’s Website
Other Public Artworks:
Since 1986 Doug has been installing permanent sculpture for prominent public sites in: Seattle Center Campus, Vancouver ‘s False Creek and Kitsilano Pool, Victoria’s Selkirk Waterfront, Whistler’s Plaza of Champions, Creekside, and NASA’s Space Center in Houston,Texas.
Wind art on the Vancouver Seawall, Doug Taylor’s Khenko | brent granby