Description
As if defying gravity, a stainless steel house floats twenty feet off the plaza. Tethered to the ground, ropes and boulders anchor the house, preventing it from floating away. Archive speaks to the challenge and importance of collecting and preserving our shared memories and histories for future generations lest they fly away just as the house threatens to do.
Illuminated from within, the artwork is a beacon of light welcoming the public into the Central Archives and Ottawa Public Library Materials Centre. Cut from the walls of the house are random patterns of letters, the building blocks of narrative, from which the light glows. Visitors are encouraged to follow the pathway which meanders like a river and appreciate the sculpture from various perspectives.
Don Maynard is an artist living and working in Kingston, Ontario. His work can be found in the collections of the City of Ottawa, the Canada Council Art Bank, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, and the Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery.