Artists: Jordan Bent & Basil McMahon
Year: 2010
Location: 45 West Hastings
Dimensions: H. 16 feet L. 25 feet
Best Viewed: From back alleyway
The Hidden Truth Every morning, a murder of crows flies in through the Vancouver sky. Every evening, they retreat. Their journey is a reliable reflection of the daily movements we all make through the urban landscape, whether by following familiar paths or venturing into unfamiliar territory. If one takes a moment to observe the crows as intently as they observe us, one might quickly recognize in them an ancient wisdom that, like wings, provides for perspective high above the daily confusion of the city. Clever and resourceful, the crow knows what it is seeking, and just how to find it. Amidst a dense network of concrete and wires, the crow will duck and twist, dive and hover, deftly flying right through any obstacles in its path. From the crow, no secrets can be kept. But to the bird who sees how full the streets are with strife and challenge, a secret is little more than a truth we hide from ourselves. From its vantage point in the sky, the crow knows that those delicately concealed ribbon bows we keep hidden from each other- a song, a poem, an emotion unexpressed, a tender place in our hearts- may bring so much good to all of us if only the ribbon knots untied, picked up delicately, and carried streaming across the landscape like stars streaking in the sky.
About the heritage building: 45 West Hastings Vacant for 40 years, the top floor of the 45 West Hastings heritage building is these days home to the 45 West co-operative performing arts studio, for artists to gather, collaborate and practice their craft. The vision for the space is “to create a vibrant multi-use cultural and community space that accommodates multiple simultaneous uses” for “media artists, photographers, dancers, actors, theatre companies, puppeteers and poets”.
