The City of Pickering yesterday announced that ‘One Horse Power’ has been installed at Pickering’s new Fire Hall, located at the corner of Zents Drive and Brock Road.
Signage and landscaping are still being completed, and the artwork will officially be unveiled as part of the Fire Hall opening this June, it said.
A city statement said the construction of Pickering’s new Seaton Fire Headquarters provides the opportunity for public art to act as a gateway and marker to the Seaton community.
Seaton is a vibrant community being developed in central Pickering. It is planned to accommodate 70,000 new residents and 35,000 new jobs. Master-planning for this community began in 2015 with the construction of infrastructure for water, sewers, roads, power, gas, and telecommunications.
In April 2022, the City of Pickering released a Call to Artists asking creatives to broadly consider local nature and wildlife, and the rapidly developing community in Seaton. 46 artists from across Canada and the USA submitted expressions of interest. After careful consideration, the jury, the Cultural Advisory Committee, and the Public Art Sub Committee shortlisted the top three artists, from which Bermingham Studio Inc. was awarded the commission, the statement said.
Artist Patrick Bermingham created the proposal to pay tribute to the work horse, the original unit of power. Patrick reflects “with a single horsepower, so much was accomplished in a short space in time,” highlighting that the work horse represents a time when human and horse worked closely together in synergy.
The style of the proposed sculpture is to be highly dynamic, not high realism. The artist intends for passers-by to feel the determination of the horse, conveying strength and beauty through perseverance. As the Seaton neighborhood continues to grow, this steel guardian will remind visitors and residents of the power required to get the job done, back then and today, the statement added.