The City of Pickering has commissioned Bluff Studios – a collaborative of Sean Procyk and Sarah Fuller – to complete a permanent, public artwork in Millpond Meadow at Pickering Museum Village this December.
The artwork entitled “On the Backs of Fish” is an interactive sculpture that forms a connection between landscape, community and ecology. The artwork takes inspiration from salmon swimming upstream, by resembling fish forms emerging from Millpond Meadow, and mimicking the movement of the fish as they navigate the current, said a ci\ty statement.
The larger than life school of fish will be installed in the meadow adjacent to Duffins Creek.
The $80,000 project is funded by the Community Foundation of Canada’s Healthy Communities Initiative and The Government of Canada. With this funding, the City has made a number of additions to Millpond Meadow which increase usability and accessibility of the site while highlighting its beauty and heritage, including public artwork, stone seating and the planting of sugar maple trees to support future programming.
For the past five years, the City of Pickering, in partnership with the Pickering Public Library, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, has supported a salmon hatchery at the Pickering Central Library.
Library patrons and students from local schools have the ability to observe and learn about the Atlantic salmon and the importance of biodiversity. The hatchery resulted in the release of over 400 Atlantic salmon into Duffins Creek. In addition, salmon hatchlings are released annually into Duffins Creek by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority at the museum site.
“On the Backs of Fish” will form a bridge between the learning space of the museum and the watershed itself – an interactive work that encourages play and an understanding of how the fish travel through the landscape, the statement said.
“‘On the Backs of Fish’ draws inspiration from the salmon’s upstream journey, and gracefully intertwines the vibrant tapestry of our landscape, community, and ecology,” said Mayor Kevin Ashe. “Pickering Museum Village, a treasured cultural landmark nestled amidst 27 acres of lush, natural heritage, including the salmon-sustaining Duffins Creek, is the perfect home for this beautiful work of art, serving as a testament to our city’s environmental stewardship, while also inspiring and educating thousands of annual museum visitors.”
Sean Procyk and Sarah Fuller formed their collaborative relationship between 2011 and 2014. During this time the two developed a conceptual approach to art-making informed by concerns for sustainability, the ecological balance between human, and the natural environment, as well as community engagement.
The selection of this project was determined through a multi-phase process and led, reviewed, and approved by a number of resident-led groups, including a jury, Public Art Committee, and the City’s Cultural Advisory Committee.
Millpond Meadow is located adjacent to Duffins Creek alongside the Greenwood Conservation Area. The waterway supports a diverse ecosystem, including salmon, and in the past, was a site that supported the historic mill that used to stand where the Millpond Meadow is now located. The artwork will be installed in Fall 2023.