Now You See It, Now You Don’t.

At noon and 9 p.m. daily, a giant chandelier descends from under the Granville Bridge in Vancouver. It lights up, spins for two minutes, and tucks itself back into the underbelly of the bridge again.

Why?

Does art need a reason?

Designed by B.C. artist, Rodney Graham, the public art piece is almost eight metres high, and is made of stainless steel, LED lamps, and six hundred faux crystals.

The hefty price tag for the piece is raising some eyebrows—$4.8 million.

Does a city with dealing with skyrocketing real estate prices and the resultant housing crisis need a gigantic chandelier?

Does any city?

Yes. Any city. Every city.

We all need more in our lives than food and board. We need life in our life, fun in our day, and something spectacular just around the corner.

To the naysayers, might I point out that the city did not pay for this Phantom of the Opera installation. Obligated by a city bylaw to provide a public art piece as part of their Vancouver House project, Westbank, the property developer, commissioned and covered the cost of the chandelier.

Yes, the installment has stirred up controversy.

It has also become so popular, that another spin cycle has been added. The chandelier now whirls three times a day, at noon, at 4 p.m., and at 9 p.m.

Next time I’m in Vancouver, I’m taking a peek under the bridge 🙂

Aimer at Amazon