To say I am a Douglas Coupland fan would be a rather large understatement. He is one of my true design heros and I plan to do a special post on Douglas under my colour hero feature in the next bit. Although his Digital Orca sculpture outside of the Vancouver Convention Centre has been in place for 10 months or so, it still continues to dazzle and inspire me. For a city where marine life plays at the foot of our urban core while technology, innovation and video games grow as vital industries, it is simply poetic to create an orca out of pixels. We are, after all, a city where nature and urban life overlap but fuse together in harmony. Digital Orca has quickly become one of my favourite pieces of art. If I win the lottery tomorrow, I will see to it that Douglas Coupland designs many more sculptures in Vancouver!

I like the words written on the plaque beside the sculpture: “The digital orca sculpture breaks down a 3D Orca whale into cubic pixels – making a familiar symbol of the West Coast become something unexpected and new. This use of natural imagery modified by technology bridges the past to the future. It speaks to the people and activities that created Vancouver’s thriving harbour culture, while addressing the massive changes reshaping the BC economy. The sculpture’s metal construction and lighting components evoke the daily moods of the harbour and the diversity of those who work here.”

(images via douglas coupland & claire fossey)