The Spotted Lake of Osoyoos

A short ride northwest of the small Canadian town of Osoyoos there is a body of water which has come to be known in English as Spotted Lake.  It is believed to be the most mineralized lake on the planet with 365 ‘circles’ – one for each day of the year – in a myriad of shapes, sizes and depths. It is an extraordinary natural phenomenon.

Image Credit Flickr User Bryanh

It is called by the Ki lil xw (pronounced Kliluk) by the Okanagan, one of the aboriginal peoples in Canada collectively called the First Nations.  For them, it is a sacred medicine lake and their people have been coming to the lake in search of cures for various ailments for centuries.  There are hundreds of ceremonial cairns surrounding the lake, many of which are so old that they have been buried by time.

The Kermode Bear: Spirit Bear of British Columbia

This is not a polar bear which has decided to migrate to warmer climes.  Featured today on our sibling site, the Ark in Space, this is a remarkable sub-species of the North American Black Bear - the Kermode Bear, aka the spirit bear.  Living along the shorelines and central interior of British Columbia on the west coast of Canada, around ten percent of Kermode bears have white or creamy coats.  Unsurprisingly, they are revered among the native peoples of the province.  Head over to the Ark in Space for the full feature on these beautiful but rare bears.

Image Credit Valard

Digital Orca by Douglas Coupland

Image Credit Flickr User JasonJThomas

Douglas Coupland, most famous for his novel Generation X has created this amazing Digital Orca sculpture, now in place in Vancouver Harbor.  The structure breaks down a three dimensional Orca whale in to cubic pixels.

Image Credit Flickr User lindsay.d.bunny

This is intended to make something creative and new out of a familiar symbol of the West Coast of Canada. 

Image Credit Flickr User popejon2

Natural imagery is thus modified by technology.  This bridges the past to the future and so, hopefully, speaks to the people who help create Vancouver’s thriving harbour culture.  At the same time the giant sculpture is intended to address the changes that are shaping the economy of British Columbia.

Image Credit Flickr User Jason Coburn

A digitised sculpture is something quite new, especially one of a killer whale.  It almost regales the harbour with its presence and its metal structure is lit up beautifully at night.  Altogether, Copeland’s new work is a compelling and visually stunning addition to Vancouver’s already charismatic harbour.

Image Credit Flickr User wlcutler

The kids love it too, as well as art lovers.  At least, that is, if their unambiguous joy at jumping around the base of the sculpture is anything to go by.