Time
In the early 1970’s, members of the Kingston community suggested the city erect a sculpture in between the Queen’s smokestack and the water purification plant. In honour of Kingston’s Tercentenary (300th birthday), Ontario, Quebec and the federal government all made donations of about $50,000 each which was used to commission three sculptures. The first of them was Time .
Russian-born artist Kosso Eloul was commissioned to create the work in 1973. Time created controversy amongst the neighbours. Some believed it was an eyesore that blocked the view of the lake. Others saw it as a stunning and thought-provoking work of art.
Time is made of an aluminum alloy that was developed at Alcan specifically for this project. This was Eloul’s way of pointing out the plant’s importance in our community.
The meaning of Time has been questioned over and over again. Some believe it represents the passage of time. In fact, rumours have flown that the sculpture was built on a fault line and the two rectangles would eventually touch. This is not true.
Whether you love it or hate it, Time is a part of our scenery in Kingston and is considered a favourite landmark to both tourists and locals alike. Many of us see it as we speed by. Park your car and go give Time a closer look.
How can you hate this thing? It is truly one of the better commissioned landmarks our city has.
I swear I once saw a photograph of a lightning strike out on the horizon and the bolt of lightning would be seen between the two parts of this statue. It was a great picture . . . even if I’m making it up in my mind ha ha.
Time has – for as long as I can remember – been my favourite sculpture in the city. So much so that I ensured some of my wedding pictures were taken at the site.
Personally, I’ve always loved hearing what people think the sculpture is. The fault line was a really common one through the 90s (“It’ll touch on Jan 1, 2000!”) and I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s a sundial, too.
And Matt, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of it with lightning in the middle (Though that WOULD rock) … but there are a bunch on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=time+sculpture+kingston
Clearly the time post was a shout out to Tommy on his birthday. Awesome link too btw.