Paris-born artist Marc Walter cuts a piece of string tied to a branch at Maffeo Sutton Park on Wednesday afternoon. Walter is constructing a piece called Embarking, using recycled branches from Nanaimo.

Paris-born artist Marc Walter cuts a piece of string tied to a branch at Maffeo Sutton Park on Wednesday afternoon. Walter is constructing a piece called Embarking, using recycled branches from Nanaimo.

Project roots new life into unwanted branches

Quebec-based artist Marc Walter constructing temporary art exhibit at Maffeo Sutton Park.

There will soon be a brand new public art piece at Maffeo Sutton Park.

Over the next four days, Quebec-based artist Marc Walter will be installing Embarking, a public art piece commissioned by the City of Nanaimo as part of its temporary art program.

When completed, Embarking will feature a boat suspended above the ground.

“I thought it made sense to create a boat lifted off the ground to provoke the sense of departure and the dream that people have to travel abroad,” Walter said.

The public art piece will be made from tree branches in Nanaimo, a process Walter has previously practised with other on-site art pieces.

“I proposed to do what I always do, which is a land art piece,” he said. “So it is an artwork created from natural materials extracted from the sites where I work.”

Walter will be at Maffeo Sutton Park constructing Embarking until Monday.

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Nanaimo News Bulletin