Ears of the Earth is a site specific, public art proposal consisting of a prairie crocus flower arrangement appropriately scaled, fabricated, and coloured to the artist’s requirements to sit atop the existing abandoned smoke stack at the Forks.

We highly anticipate that ears of the earth at The Forks, will quickly become one of the most recognized and talked about public sculptures in North America…if not the world.

In keeping with the Forks’ statement on Public Art:

“The Forks will collaborate with the artistic community, making the site the city’s most visible place where the arts meet the public. Public art will be incorporated throughout The Forks landscape to enrich the site’s environment, making the Forks a more interesting place and allowing the public to visually and tangibly recognize special people, places, moments or historic events. Playful art forms will be created to entertain all age groups to dramatically affect the way people view the site and create a sense of great pride.”

I believe that this piece of public art – ears of the earth – will enhance the public’s experience at The Forks through the unification of the stack and the crocuses.  There will be a semantic shift from the industrial to the aesthetic, while paying respect to The Forks’ recent past as a centre for industry and trade.  This contemporary work of art also pays homage to The Forks rich origins as an Indigenous meeting place.  The sculpture is titled after the Indigenous naming of the prairie crocus, as the early harbingers of spring.

The idea for ears of the earth has been with me for 18 years, and our team of engineers has worked diligently for the past year and a half to bring us to this point.  The way forward is truly exciting.

Cameron Cross