By David F. Rooney
The city’s newest public sculpture — Flying Without Wings by Rob Buchanan — was quietly installed at the Tournament of Champions Winner’s Circle at the base of Mount Revelstoke by the Railway Museum on Track Street on Thursday morning.
The chrome sculpture is a stylized ski jump that is also an homage of sorts to local Olympian John McInnes.
“I based the front of the sculpture on John’s skis,” Buchanan said as the two-art metal sculpture he created with the vital assistance of Rob Maraun at Mount Begbie Machine Shop. “I think it’s quite cool.”
And, in fact, it is.
The gleaming sculpture is surrounded by the flags of those countries that sent competitors here in the last century when Revelstoke truly was a power house in the world of ski jumping. This particular work will be formally unveiled in June.
Buchanan is an extremely talented and energetic photographer, painter, sculptor and graphic designer employed by Parks Canada. He has been responsible for the most attractive and interesting sculptures created in Revelstoke for our two national parks (the whimsical Breeches of Miss Conduct and the graceful memorial to the workers who died in the March 1910 avalanche in Rogers) and will also, this year, begin installation of a major public sculpture for the City at the Community Centre.
Here is a series of photos that chronicles the installation of Flying Without Wings as well as a copy of Rob’s original statement and first illustrations for the work. Enjoy:
