For the next four months a series of public art pieces will be visible at Vancouver Island University as long as weather permits.
In late August, VIU alumni Lindsay Malbon and Laura Timmermans, graduates of the school’s community planning and graphic design programs, respectively, laid down around 15 stencil designs on concrete surfaces using a water-resistant solution. As a result, the images only appear when wet.
Malbon and Timmermans unveiled their designs during the first week of classes. Many of the pieces include positive messages and nature imagery.
“We were inspired to just think of ways to make people smile on rainy days and a way to connect people back to the place [where] we’re learning and studying and living,” Timmermans said.
“So using elements like fish and leaves and birds throughout our designs I think really helps connect people to the land that we’re learning on.”
Malbon said she hopes the project prompts people to enjoy public spaces year round and find a reason to appreciate precipitation.
“VIU gets so much rain during the year, so I thought this would be a fun way to make it more tolerable and have people come out and enjoy it,” she said.
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