A tribute to George Alexander Norris, sculptor 1928-2013. George passed away in Victoria this week.
George created this 95 foot frieze for Vancouver’s Postal Station D at 2300 Pine Street in Vancouver in 1967. Norris is perhaps best known for his iconic sculpture of a crab in the fountain at the Museum of Vancouver (then the Centennial Museum).
Some of his other work was less respected; his 1974 stainless steel pinwheel sculpture at Pacific Centre Plaza was dismantled, given to the City of Surrey, where it remained in storage until it was unceremoniously scrapped.
Another Norris sculpture was situated on the northeast corner of Cambie and Dunsmuir streets in downtown Vancouver, at the west end of the Georgia Viaduct inside what was known as Abutment Park. According to a phone conversation Gary Sim conducted with the artist, the unnamed piece was effectively “a bridge marker” akin to those the Romans once placed at their bridges.
From Gary Sim’s Art & Artists in Exhibition: Vancouver 1890 - 1950, he writes:
The bridge marker, a welded bronze structure, originally had four glass spheres (containing a mix of clear chemicals that would not freeze) mounted in it. These spheres and the welded bronze structure were enclosed in glass panels. The spheres were intended to reflect the lights of cars on the road, as a cat’s eyes would, as the cars went past. Some time later the sculpture began to fall into disrepair. The glass panels leaked and the sculpture filled with water, then the glass panels were all broken or removed. All four glass globes were smashed by vandals. The Editor, while sitting on the Vancouver Public Art Committee in 2000-2001, attempted to start a process that would end in the repair of the sculpture.
In the telephone conversation with the sculptor, Norris indicated that given its damaged state, he would definitely prefer the sculpture be destroyed. Two years later the sculpture remained untended, and in 2004 a large advertising sign was placed in front of it. Shortly afterwards the sculpture was removed and presumably sold for scrap. The concrete foundation remained while longer, but eventually was removed when the entire area was rebuilt for the new condo development.
May the work of George Norris be remembered and respected henceforth and forevermore. For an even more thorough record of his work, see this post over at the excellent blog DesignKultur.
(Source: illustratedvancouver)
![Spotted in BC Living at the Black + Blue rooftop grand opening party with my guy and the director of WE Vancouver, Gail Nugent. [Paul Duchart photo]
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Guests enjoy The Roof at Black + Blue, Vancouver’s hottest new patio
The Glowbal Collection elevates the Vancouver patio experience with the city’s highly anticipated rooftop destination: The Roof, Black + Blue’s third-floor outdoor restaurant and lounge.
They knocked it out of the park with this stunning patio. Not only it is a rooftop lounge, it also doubles as a standalone 120-seat restaurant with its own dedicated state-of-the-art kitchen.
The one-of-a-kind $20,000 Wood Stone Josper Charcoal Broiler Oven can cook a large steak to perfection in less than four minutes! It’s also the first rooftop of its kind in Canada with a complete open kitchen.
[Full story: http://www.bcliving.ca/entertainment/the-roof-at-black-blue-grand-opening-party]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/95869ef5bca9e9199889427c00542013/tumblr_mmyqd4vM9H1r54cw1o2_r1_500.jpg)
