WebStamp February 20, 2019
Public Art Offering
Tucked into a little alcove in Calgary’s +15 Pedestrian System atop of 5th Ave. just east of 5th St. sits an organic abstract metal sculpture by the famous Alberta artist Isla Burns. “Offering to Selene from an Elephant God” reflects Isla’s experience associated with her trip to her birthplace and echoes her spiritual evolution. This sculpture is a good example of her skills with metal by carefully balancing 3D shapes.
Burn’s modern sculptures recall the highly decorative and illustrative Indian culture she was born and lived in.
She moved to Scotland as a teenager where she studied at the Edinburgh College of Art. In the ‘70’s she achieved a diploma in Sculpture at the Alberta College of Art in Calgary and a Master of Visual Arts. In Sculpture where she also did contract teaching at the UofA in Edmonton.
Many of her works are exhibited across Canada and around the world with a number of them as public artworks installed permanently in Edmonton and Calgary. After graduating from the Alberta College of Art and Design she took a welding apprentice course at SAIT to be able to get employment working with metal. Burns faced persistent adversity finding a job in Alberta as women working with metal in the ‘70s and finally landed a job welding and riveting freight carriers in Vancouver.
In a year she acquired enough money to buy her own studio where Burns crafted metal sculptures with a more mechanical style derived from her welding job experience. It took her over a year to realize she was using industrial parts in her sculptures and that they needed to be formed into shape instead of assembled. After learning how to forge, she was able to create flowing organic shapes with metal by heating and beating the steel into shape.
The next time you are downtown strolling through the +15 Walkway avoiding the cold weather admire “Offering to Selene from an Elephant God” sculpture. You will experience a glimpse of East Indian culture and mysticism with a modern abstract flair.
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WebStamp February 20, 2019
