jill anholt studio: 'line of work'

the installation illuminated at night photo © martin tessler

‘line of work’ by jill anholt studio photo © martin tessler

canadian jill anholt studio were commissioned by worksafeBC to design a permanent public installation. recently complete ‘line of work is situated along the vancouver convention centre’s green roof and seawall in the city’s centre.

photo © martin tessler

the concept for ‘line of work’ is based upon the ‘ripple effect’ or more specifically the notion that single elements working together can become more than the sum of their parts. the sculpture is composed of a changing series of individual elements that together create a giant wave-form that reaches out towards the sea. the elements grow in both size and reach along the edge of a pedestrian pathway connecting the vancouver convention centre to the seawall and forming an increasingly protective enclosure; a concept that carries throughout the project from the overall sculptural form, to materiality and construction, and to the organization of the text within the piece.

‘line of work’ structure photo © martin tessler

‘line of work’ is composed of a series of stainless steel frames supporting laminated yellow cedar elements that cantilever increasingly in reach and angle outwards from their base. the installation spans over 110′, each element is 20′ tall and varies from 2-8′ in depth. there are 17 elements in total; the 15 in the centre represent 150 years of british columbia’s provincial history plus one at either end representing BC’s past and future. the wood elements are carved with occupations that follow this rough time line, moving from pre-1850s through to post 2010, reflecting larger scale shifts in the provincial economy: from occupations surrounding natural resource extraction toward processing and manufacturing and finally into service and technology. the piece includes both general and specific occupations, to chart larger cultural shifts and to include meaningful individual examples.

while the conceptual approach provides a framework that reflects some of the core mission of worksafe, that of protection, inclusion and growth, ‘line of work’ remains open to interpretation at different scales. the overall wave-form can be viewed from a great distance as an integrated dynamic and organic element within the iconic folded green roof of the convention centre.

photo © martin tessler

detail photo © martin tessler

model of ‘line of work’ image courtesy jill anholt studio

image courtesy jill anholt studio

‘line of work’ occupational structure image courtesy jill anholt studio

detail of line of work – occupational structure image courtesy jill anholt studio

detail of line of work – occupational structure image courtesy jill anholt studio detail of line of work – occupational structure image courtesy jill anholt studio