When Intracorp Canada looked to create an iconic piece of public art for its planned MC2 neighbourhood next to the Canada Line rapid transit line at Marine Drive & Cambie Street in Vancouver, they turned to world-renowned artist Vancouver artist Douglas Coupland.
Located next to a bridge that connects Vancouver to Richmond, the art site would be clearly visible to 100,000 Canada Line passengers daily as they travel between Vancouver and Richmond, including thousands of visitors arriving daily via YVR. The intent was to reflect Vancouver’s history by paying homage to a well-known artifact that was Vancouver’s first major tourist attraction, the famous “hollow tree” in Stanley Park.
Coupland’s yet to be finished piece called “Golden Tree”, will be constructed of steel-reinforced resin and fiberglass, and be a full-scale replica measuring 43 feet in height. To create public awareness about Coupland’s piece” and Intracorp’s new MC2 development at Cambie and Marine, Pace Group recommended against the typical news conference in favour of pre-scheduled one-on-one media interviews with Mr. Coupland at the actual hollow tree site.
Planned, coordinated and managed by Pace Group, the media availabilities featured a model of the artwork backed by the real hollow tree, providing unique visuals for media covering the story. The unique format and content of the media event led to extensive coverage by all of Vancouver’s main print and television media outlets, as well as social media.