Bikennale 1: Minotaur with Hare

A sterling Sunday (will this summer never end?) and a fine day for a bike ride – with some art along the way.  (A tour through Artland, as Charles Jencks might say.) 

That was the idea for the Bikennale – a self-guided tour of  sculpture being mounted in public spaces by the Vancouver Biennale.  It began at Vanier Park with a larger crowd than expected:

Barrie Mowat, the Executive Director, looked  pleased.  Even though all the works hadn’t been mounted, there was enough to justify taking the longer of two routes in order to reach VanDusen Garden by way of the Valley Bikeway – a wonderfully flat experience (until 37th Avenue)  that joined up with the Midtown Greenway.  

So good to see the many different kinds of cyclists exploring the network and discovering Vancouver on two wheels.

Thanks to the bike-valet service, it was easy to explore VanDusen without worry – and to get lost inside its stunning beauty.

I confess: though I’ve lived inVancouver for over thirty years, I never appreciated how big the VanDusen Botantical Garden actually is.  Operated by the Park Board, and supported by countless volunteers, it is one of the city’s great treasures.

Tucked away in its southwest corner is a maze, and next to the maze is “Minotaur with Hare” – one of the sculptures in the Biennale.

A work by UK artist Sophie Ryder, it has been previously located around the city in other pleasant venues – usually provoking slightly salacious comments on the speculative relationship.

Throughout the day, I’d come across friends who were also sharing the experience – like past councillor Peter Ladner and his friend Oleh Ilnyouyj. 

And for those who I didn’t know, there’s nothing like a work of art to start up a conversation.

More kilometres and sculptures to come.