Vancouver Sculpture Relocation Cancelled After Neighbourhood Dispute

A towering public artwork in Vancouver has become a flashpoint for civic debate, dividing its creators and supporters from local residents who oppose its proposed relocation.

Trans Am Rapture — originally titled Trans Am Totem — is a 33-foot (10-metre) sculpture by Marcus Bowcott and Helene Aspinall, featuring five salvaged cars stacked atop the trunk of an old-growth cedar tree. First displayed as part of the 2014-16 Vancouver Biennale, the work became a permanent part of the city’s public art collection in 2019 after Lululemon founder Chip Wilson donated C$250,000 to preserve it.

Originally located in Northeast False Creek, the sculpture was dismantled in 2021 for cleaning and repairs after damage from nesting pigeons. It was refurbished with bird-proofing measures, including metal mesh, and a new installation site was chosen — a park beside the southwest corner of the Granville Street Bridge.

This month, however, the City of Vancouver abruptly cancelled the relocation after receiving a neighbourhood petition opposing it. Petition organiser Doreen Forst, who owns a nearby condo, argued that the 10-metre sculpture would block views of the North Shore mountains. Her petition gathered more than 250 signatures.

An opposing petition, launched on 2 August by Michael Rozen, a friend of the artists, has since attracted over 700 signatures. Rozen contends that the sculpture is smaller than many surrounding trees and would not obstruct views, describing the site as an ideal backdrop beside busy 4th Avenue and the Granville Bridge.

Despite this support, Bowcott doubts the city will reverse its decision. Vancouver Biennale president Barrie Mowatt is now proposing an alternative site at the nearby Granville Loop, though the artist maintains that the original Northeast False Creek location offered the best visual impact.

The city says the existing concrete pad at the bridge site will be repurposed for a smaller public artwork and that alternative locations for Trans Am Rapture are being explored.

The dispute has added new layers of meaning to the sculpture, which Bowcott describes as a response to “curated hierarchies of the art world” and as a reflection of Vancouver’s wider social divides. “Our cultural fabric is frayed and torn,” he says. “Income disparities and growing social hierarchies have engendered alienation. The fractures in our political, social, and religious realms are echoed in the art world.”