Photo: Stephen Li, Provoke Studios
Personnages by Lyse Lemieux - photo by Stephen Li, Provoke Studios
Personnages by Lyse Lemieux - photo by Stephen Li, Provoke Studios
889 Pacific Street
The Pacific
Nine mosaic figures inset five columns and span the double-height of the outdoor ground level frontage of the building
Private development
2021
Glass mosaic tiles (tesserae)
Site-integrated work
In place
Privately owned
City of Vancouver Private Development Program
Yaletown Downtown South Quadrant
Description of work

Personnages was commissioned by Grosvenor Americas as part of their participation in the City of Vancouver's Public Art Program for Private Development. 

Artist statement

Nine mosaic figures inset five columns and span the double-height of the outdoor ground level frontage at the Grosvenor Pacific building. Embedded in black mosaic cladding the nine mosaic figural silhouette drawings will be on both faces of the columns. Some figures will be fully viewed from the outside while others will be more visible from the interior of the building. The mosaic figures will be scaled to the full height of each column face. Central to the proposition of these large-scale outdoor drawings is a concern for what I consider to be drawing’s most essential quality; the material presence of line. The rich and long tradition of mosaics is its engagement with and consideration for, process, material and line. A material and process based approach means the drawing must not only be responsive to the architecture, but germane to the community and pertinent to the site. These figural, columnar figures will be captured as modern day caryatides. A considered presence, the figures will be defined and be understood by both the present activities and people that surrounds them today as well as from those the past (history of Leslie House). Solitary and reaching, these gentle and quiet giants will be formidable but not intimidating, abstract yet recognizable, subscribers to no other narrative but the one passersby and visitors choose to impose. Personnages will bear the weight of our unremarkable quotidian and our extraordinary shared existence.

Visit Grosvenor Pacific's webpage to learn more: https://art.grosvenorpacific.com/

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