Labour Day always signals the end of summer for me. First, a big, festive weekend where parties, sales, festivals occupy the downtown core's every nook and cranny. By Monday, everyone looks a bit tired and sad, resigned to leaving summer behind. The final curtain on this last hurrah falls when the Urban Reef in the pedestrian zone on Robson Square is dismantled. The award-winning sittable sculpture turns the busiest intersection in the city into a living room, inviting pedestrians to sit around and enjoy a lazy afternoon, observing the commotion around. The area was first made into a car-free zone during the winter Olympics in 2010 and later allowed to continue seasonally as an experiment. There is still a lively debate going on over whether it should be made permanently car-free. It seems to be a no brainer to me but apparently some commuters are unhappy that their cars have to be re-routed and others argue no one will use the space during rainy winter. Meanwhile, as I watch the deconstruction crew take down the Urban Reef, I swear I feel the first chill of fall beginning to pervade the as yet sultry air.
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Robson @ Hornby & Howe
Pedestrian Zone (No More) |
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| Party's Over |
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| Documenting After Dismantling |
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| Goodbye, Urban Reef |
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