A new art installation called Fordite by acclaimed artist and writer Douglas Coupland was unveiled Tuesday, September 20th at Station Square in Metrotown, with attendance from City of Burnaby’s Mayor Mike Hurley and various Burnaby City Councillors. The installation, which is the first Coupland piece to join Metrotown’s growing public art collection, nods to the site’s transformation from a former Ford Motor Company assembly plant that existed on the site between 1938-1988 into the award-winning mixed-use residential development, Station Square.
“For the Station Square site I created stacks of polished fordite gems that are deliberately bold to remind people in a jubilant way that we once, not even long ago, lived in a world where car colours were used as they still are in fashion, to hasten a vehicle’s shortened lifespan and to build expectation for newer and more differently coloured cars,” says Douglas Coupland.
Coupland’s installation, which includes four separate pieces, the tallest of which reaches 50’, is designed to look like the gemstone-like material that is created through the buildup and hardening of automotive paint slag, called fordite. The installation sits at the intersections of McKay Ave and Kingsway and Kingsborough St and Silver Dr, outside of Station Square’s final two towers, 6000 McKay and 6080 McKay.
“It is fitting, that what was once a car factory, then a vacant lot, then a strip shopping centre, and now the modern urban village of Station Square – a comforting place for thousands of people’s daily use – is symbolically graced by this amazing piece by Douglas Coupland,” says Eric Carlson, CEO, Anthem. “Fordite is something new and creative, made from what was before, stimulating the senses and appreciation for both the esthetic and the idea of renewal. It is a bold signature, finalizing this significant development, created in partnership between Anthem and Beedie.”
“The addition of a public art piece from one of Canada’s most influential artists has allowed us to bring even more of a cultural impact to Station Square and Burnaby. As a company that’s helped to support the local arts and business communities for many years, this particular piece really resonates with us, referencing the manufacturing history of the area,” says Ryan Beedie, President, Beedie. “With the large number of new homes, retail, and office space in Station Square, I think it also speaks to the evolution of the neighbourhood and of the Lower Mainland, and we’re excited to be a lasting part of it. This longstanding partnership between Beedie and Anthem has been truly rewarding and we’re excited to see this community thrive for years to come.”
The 12-acre Station Square community was one of the first large-scale, multi-phase, transit-oriented developments in Metrotown, and has brought 1,792 new homes and over 450,000 square feet of retail and office space to the heart of Metrotown. It has been recognized as the Best Mixed Use High Rise Development of 2021/2022 by UDI Pacific Region and Western Canada’s most Successful Real Estate Development by sales volume in 2014. Station Square’s final tower, 6000 McKay, received occupancy this August and the tower’s 422 homeowners are in the process of moving in.
Station Square has created over 3,300 construction jobs during its development and will continue to be a key employment hub with commercial tenants that include Earls, Cactus Club, WeWork and numerous other retailers.
ABOUT DOUGLAS COUPLAND:
Douglas Coupland is a writer and visual artist whose diverse art practice synthesizes high and low culture, web technology, religion, and changes in human existence caused by modern technologies. Coupland often explores the fluid and morphing transition of the collective consciousness from the pre-Internet world into the all-Internet world. He explores ways in which modern citizens have grown to separate mind from body. Coupland has exhibited his visual work widely throughout Canada and internationally including The Armory Show and MASS Moca. He has written and lectured widely on both fiction and art related topics and has installed several public art works in Toronto and Vancouver.
ABOUT ANTHEM:
Founded in 1991, Anthem is a team of 500 people driven by creativity, passion and direct communication. Anthem has invested in, developed or managed – alone or in partnership – more than 310 residential, commercial and retail projects across western North America.
Our growing residential portfolio includes 17,500 homes that are complete, in design or under construction, from master planned mixed use residential and multifamily, to townhome and single family communities.
We own, co-own, manage or have previously owned over 8.5 million square feet of retail, industrial, residential rental and office space. We have developed more than 60 communities across 7,400 acres of land in Alberta, British Columbia and California.
Anthem is a real estate development, investment and management company that strives, solves and evolves to create better spaces and stronger communities. We are Growing Places.
For more information, please visit www.anthemproperties.com.
ABOUT BEEDIE:
Since 1954, we’ve combined innovation and craftsmanship to bring new possibilities to life. Today, Beedie is one of Canada’s largest industrial developers and property managers, having completed more than 35 million square feet of new development across British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, with an ever-expanding industrial portfolio of over 11 million square feet.
With over six decades of uncompromising quality, dedication to customer service, and commitment to communities, Beedie is also one of the Lower Mainland’s most reputable residential developers having completed several significant, large-scale master-planned communities and mixed-use projects, including over 2,700 homes brought to market and under construction.
Being Built For Good is engrained in everything we do at Beedie. We invest in relationships, collaborate with community partners, and support our team in giving back because we truly care for the places where we work and live. Whether an industrial facility or a residential high-rise, we have an unmatched track record of creating environments where businesses can prosper, and people can thrive.
For more information, please visit www.beedie.ca.
