CODAworx, the self-described “hub of the commissioned art economy,” aims to showcase and celebrate public artwork and its creators. Each year since 2012, this Wisconsin-based organization selects 100 public art projects from around the world for their prestigious CODAawards. Canada represents 10% of the Top 100 finalists this year, with installations in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.
The CODAawards recognize collaborations that successfully integrate commissioned art into interior, architectural, or public spaces. The CODAawards received 281 entries from 14 countries this year. The Top 100 artworks are now available for public voting from June 25 to July 11. The two artworks that receive the most online votes will win a People’s Choice CODAaward.
Here are the Canadian Nominees:
Photo: Maryn Devine
Spaghetti Chorus – Ottawa, Ontario
This artwork created for the National Gallery of Canada is made up of two microphones connected by 140 continuous meters of glowing LED tubes, suspended from the Scotiabank Great Hall’s ceiling. Gallery-goers can speak into one of the microphones and this piece will transform their voices into a music and light display.
Dandelion – Stratford, Ontario
This large interactive sculpture features eight points that respond to movement and sound, mimicking the beauty and playfulness of a wind-blown dandelion. Designed with interactive and performance modes, the sculpture transitions into a choreographed light show every five minutes, synchronized with an original score by Otis Studio.
Play It By Ear – Edmonton, Alberta
This piece is a series of 13 brightly coloured telephone pillars placed throughout Butler Memorial Park. Park visitors can pick up any telephone and a connected phone will ring elsewhere in the park. If no one answers, they will be directed to a voicemail where they can leave a message for other visitors to hear.
Portée – Montreal, Quebec
This artwork was created for the Montreal Heart Institute and consists of two grand sculptures: one located in the garden at the main entrance and the other on the rooftop terrace on the third floor. These sculptures are meant to embody the fluid, strong, and fragile movement of the body, representing the institute which they overlook.
Grand Quai, Hydrosphères – Montreal, Quebec
These three spheres fabricated with stainless steel look like water drops landing on the Grand Quay of the Port of Montreal. During the summer months, mist rises in each structure and releases through its sides. This installation considers the narrative of water, particularly the St. Lawrence River’s role in the development of Montreal.
Photo: Clara Lacasse
Glacier Cave – Montreal, Quebec
A permanent multimedia installation made from post-consumer plastic water bottles, Glacier Cave invites the visitor into a space that stimulates a thawing glacier. The artwork responds to the visitor’s choices as the cracks become louder and brighter when they wander around and explore and dim when they sit or lay down.
Fortunes – Montreal, Quebec
Visitors play with their own shadows in this five-part experience meant to evoke reflection on the invisible force that is luck. Cameras positioned in front of each interaction zone use an AI-powered custom tracker to detect and follow human movement and transform it into shadows, projected onto the LED monoliths, which are continuously redrawn by people’s unpredictable movement.
Black Hole Experience – Montreal, Quebec
In this art display, visitors pass through a sequence of four immersive chambers, each representing a chapter in the story of humanity. This mobile experience uses projections, an interactive LED tunnel, and trick mirrors to fully immerse visitors in the cosmos.
Gravity Orchestra @MAPP_MTL Festival – Montreal, Quebec
Currently projected on the walls of the Van Horne warehouse in Montreal, Gravity Orchestra is a large-scale interactive sound installation. Using simple wooden blocks set on a podium in front of the walls, the user can conduct free-falling pinballs from above that create an infinite number of musical arrangements using original sounds produced by Dubline Studios.
The Disco Ball Cement Truck by Benedetto Bufalino – Montreal, Quebec
The Lyon-based artist Benedetto Bufalino transformed a cement mixer truck into a disco ball, making Québec’s historic Place Royale a dance floor for one night. The art piece, covered in mirrored surfaces, pulsed with music and encouraged passersby to utilize the space differently than dictated by society.
These public artworks contribute to Canada’s beauty and vibrant arts scene while offering visitors an opportunity to reflect on their profound messages about life, human connection, nature, and more. Visit the CODAworx website to vote for any of these thoughtful Canadian displays to win a CODAaward.
