Hockey, maple syrup and Douglas Coupland – Canadian treasures we Canucks pride ourselves on knowing best. But if you only know Mr. Coupland for his wit and sharp observations on contemporary life through such books as Souvenir of Canada, jPod and, most recently, The Gum Thief, you’re in for a surprise. He is also a multi-disciplined artist, whose contributions extend beyond the written word.
This spring, Mr. Coupland adds designer to his multimedia portfolio as Shops at Don Mills unveils the centrepiece of its 58,125-sq.-ft. Town Square: the Coupland-designed clock tower named by the artist as Super Nova.
From the outset, the design vision for the project was to continue the legacy of exceptional planning, urban design and modern architecture that made Don Mills a model for community building. In January 2008, a jury comprised of art experts and a community representative selected Mr. Coupland out of three Canadian artists invited to submit proposals for Shops at Don Mills.
“Douglas Coupland’s captivating sculpture at the Shops at Don Mills’ Town Square will engage, delight and foster a source of pride in all those who have borne witness to this vibrant neighbourhood’s legacy and continuing metamorphosis,” says Alexandra Whyte, General Manager, Shops at Don Mills.
Mr. Coupland has a long-time fascination with Canadian design and architectural design. His 35-foot clock tower recounts the area’s explosive growth in the early 1950s, when Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) built hundreds of houses in the creation of the Don Mills community. These middle class homes were built from Canadian government-generated blueprints supplied for a token fee. Thousands of Canadians took a shine to these homes, and the demand gave rise to Don Mills, the country’s first master-planned community.
Most Canadians are unaware of the great impact these houses had on the Canadian landscape, says Mr. Coupland, which is reflected in the starburst design of his clock tower. The consequence of the rapid proliferation of these CMHC houses meant their very ubiquity gave rise to their ultimate invisibility, he adds.
“To rectify the invisibility of the thousands of CMHC houses in Don Mills, I made Super Nova, a piece in which a cosmic explosion occurs and houses are sent out into the universe to colonize outer space,” says Mr. Coupland. “It’s a poetic and quite lovely haiku of a moment in Canadian history. These houses gave rise to a period of unparalleled optimism and represented a moment in which radical new ways of using art and design promised a better future. I wanted to make [this period] concrete for visitors to Shops at Don Mills to see for themselves."