Cool Gardens 2025 brings interactive art installations to Winnipeg
Creative outdoor art installations are popping up across Winnipeg this summer as part of Cool Gardens 2025.
Storefront Manitoba officially launched the annual design competition and public exhibition on Saturday, featuring work from local, national, and international artists. A public launch event and block party was held at 1 p.m. on Graham Avenue, between Donald and Smith streets.
Five winning designs were selected by a jury, while four additional installations were invited to take part in the exhibition.
This year's works include a bike-powered giant fan, a canopy made from soda cans, and community harvest gardens.
'The open call invited teams to consider reused and repurposed materials and to feature local vegetation,' said Abigail Auld, curator of Cool Gardens 2025.
'Designers were asked to consider the afterlife of their temporary installations, with teams planning plant giveaways and reuse of components once Cool Gardens 2025 wraps in September,' she added.
One of the winning entries, Anything for a Breeze, is an interactive, kinetic sculpture designed to help people cool down during hot summer days.
'We're trying to get people to collaborate on cooling each other off and having fun together. It's just a fun thing to add to the city,' said Halifax-based artist Daniel Braaten.
'We've got a recumbent bike that's been manufactured to power a giant fan. It looks like a hamster wheel, but it's actually a way to cool off in the summer,' he explained.
Installations will be featured at Assiniboine Park, Osborne Village, The Forks, and along a redeveloping stretch of Graham Avenue.
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