All Sections All Sections Winnipeg Free Press Subscribe
Articles Read Your Balance +tax

March 4, 2021

Winnipeg
4° C, Fair

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Canstar Community News
    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Flyers
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photostore
  • More

©2021 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Flyers
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photostore
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Day Pass
    • Read Now Pay later
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
Canstar Community News
  • The Herald
  • The Lance
  • The Sou'wester
  • The Metro
  • The Times
  • The Headliner
  • Sports
  • Correspondents
  • Columns
  • Contact Us
  • E-Edition
  • Publications
  • Building Unity: Our Community Centres

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Designers leave their mark on greenway

Functional art unveiled in Sun Valley

Sheldon Birnie By: Sheldon Birnie
Posted: 2:56 PM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 23, 2019
Last Modified: 8:51 AM CDT Friday, Jul. 26, 2019 | Updates

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
Families were out in full force on July 20 to check out Seesaw, the new BENCHmark competition winner that was installed on the Northeast Pioneers Greenway.

SUPPLIED PHOTO BY JEONGCHOI WORKS

Families were out in full force on July 20 to check out Seesaw, the new BENCHmark competition winner that was installed on the Northeast Pioneers Greenway.

A new piece of public art invites passersby to stop and play awhile on the Northeast Pioneers Greenway.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/7/2019 (590 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new piece of public art invites passersby to stop and play awhile on the Northeast Pioneers Greenway.

On July 20, Storefront Manitoba and the Winnipeg Trails Association unveiled Seesaw, the latest in the series of BENCHmark trails-based placemaking and design competition winners.

Sylvia Choi (left) and Daegeon Jeogn, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based design team behind Seesaw, attended the unveiling event on July 20.

SUPPLIED PHOTO BY CLARISSA DIAZ

Sylvia Choi (left) and Daegeon Jeogn, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based design team behind Seesaw, attended the unveiling event on July 20.

"The involvement of the community was great, which is exactly why we do this," said Suzy Melo, co-curator of the project with Storefront Manitoba. "It was so powerful seeing people coming from all directions to see it."

Located to the west of the Sun Valley Plaza (1511 Gateway Rd.), the piece, designed by Sylvia Choi and Daegeon Jeong of Brooklyn, N.Y., is much like a large teeter totter. According to the artists’ statement, "This small intervention creates a co-occurrence of events between people sitting on the bench and its surrounding movements. The gently sloped bench with a vertical movement recalls visitors’ common childhood experience of playing on a seesaw and sensing gravity."

"You look at it and think it’s a teeter totter, and that’s the jist of it," said Anders Swanson, coordinator for the Winnipeg Trails Association. "It can fit more than two people, and it’s intended not just for kids."

The piece brings something fun to see and something interactive for everyone in the area.

"The designers envisioned all these families climbing, and so far its been a huge success," added Melo, who is a landscape architect by trade.

BENCHmark 2019 was sponsored by City of Winnipeg, Manitoba Association of Landscape Architects (MALA), Trails Manitoba, The Great Trail (Trans Canada Trail) and Fukumoto Fitness.

Gridlock, the 2018 BENCHmark winner, was installed last year along the Pandora Pathway. It was designed by Thomas Nuytten. (SHELDON BIRNIE/CANSTAR/THE HERALD)

SHELDON BIRNIE

Gridlock, the 2018 BENCHmark winner, was installed last year along the Pandora Pathway. It was designed by Thomas Nuytten. (SHELDON BIRNIE/CANSTAR/THE HERALD)

Johnny Fukumoto, owner of Fukumoto Fitness (50 Burnett Ave.), attended the July 20 unveiling with his family.

Stay informed

The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

Subscribe to COVID-19 Briefing
Sign Up

"The piece brings something fun to see and something interactive for everyone in the area," Fukumoto said. "This gives people a destination."

Now in its third year, five pieces of public art have been commissioned as a result of BENCHmark competitions, with a fifth scheduled to go up in Sir John Franklin Park later this summer.  Last year, Thomas Nuytten’s Gridlock was installed along the Pandora Pathway in Transcona.

"Something I feel strongly about is the trail systems in Winnipeg and Manitoba, and cycling itself," Melo said. "It’s getting there, but the places to rest are just places to rest. This is about bringing something else to the trails, both for people who use them all the time and people who don’t use them at all. One day, it could be like a treasure hunt to find them all."

"It’s pretty exciting to involve the international design community, and I know the local design community thrives off that spotlight," Swanson said, adding that this year’s competition had over 100 submissions. "I think we’ve been successful, in that we’ve added something interesting or joyful or playful to each site."

Visit www.benchmarkmb.ca for more information.

A new piece of public art invites passersby to stop and play awhile on the Northeast Pioneers Greenway.
On July 20, Storefront Manitoba and the Winnipeg Trails Association unveiled Seesaw, the latest in the series of BENCHmark trails-based placemaking and design competition winners.
"The involvement of the community was great, which is exactly why we do this," said Suzy Melo, co-curator of the project with Storefront Manitoba. "It was so powerful seeing people coming from all directions to see it."
Located to the west of the Sun Valley Plaza (1511 Gateway Rd.), the piece, designed by Sylvia Choi and Daegeon Jeong of Brooklyn, N.Y., is much like a large teeter totter. According to the artists’ statement, "This small intervention creates a co-occurrence of events between people sitting on the bench and its surrounding movements. The gently sloped bench with a vertical movement recalls visitors’ common childhood experience of playing on a seesaw and sensing gravity."
"You look at it and think it’s a teeter totter, and that’s the jist of it," said Anders Swanson, coordinator for the Winnipeg Trails Association. "It can fit more than two people, and it’s intended not just for kids."
"The designers envisioned all these families climbing, and so far its been a huge success," added Melo, who is a landscape architect by trade.
BENCHmark 2019 was sponsored by City of Winnipeg, Manitoba Association of Landscape Architects (MALA), Trails Manitoba, The Great Trail (Trans Canada Trail) and Fukumoto Fitness.
 Johnny Fukumoto, owner of Fukumoto Fitness (50 Burnett Ave.), attended the July 20 unveiling with his family.
"The piece brings something fun to see and something interactive for everyone in the area," Fukumoto said. "This gives people a destination."
Now in its third year, five pieces of public art have been commissioned as a result of BENCHmark competitions, with a fifth scheduled to go up in Sir John Franklin Park later this summer.  Last year, Thomas Nguyen’s Gridlock was installed along the Pandora Pathway in Transcona.
"Something I feel strongly about is the trail systems in Winnipeg and Manitoba, and cycling itself," Melo said. "It’s getting there, but the places to rest are just places to rest. This is about bringing something else to the trails, both for people who use them all the time and people who don’t use them at all. One day, it could be like a treasure hunt to find them all."
"It’s pretty exciting to involve the international design community, and I know the local design community thrives off that spotlight," Swanson said, adding that this year’s competition had over 100 submissions. "I think we’ve been successful, in that we’ve added something interesting or joyful or playful to each site."
Visit www.benchmarkmb.ca for more information.

Sheldon Birnie

Sheldon Birnie
The Herald community journalist

Sheldon Birnie is the reporter/photographer for The Herald. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@canstarnews.com Call him at 204-697-7112

   Read full biography

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

History

Updated on Friday, July 26, 2019 at 8:51 AM CDT: Thomas Nuytten's last name was spelled incorrectly. We regret the error.

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top