Calgary sculpture pulled after reflective rays from the sun singe man's jacket
Courtesy: City of Calgary
Digital Reporter
Thursday, October 9, 2014, 3:09 PM - City officials have pulled a $559,000 sculpture outside of a Calgary recreation centre after reflective rays from the sun singed a man's jacket, the Calgary Herald reports.
The interactive installation -- dubbed the Wishing Well by the Living Lenses art group -- has stood outside the Genesis Centre for Community Wellness since 2012.
People were encouraged to wander inside the sculpture and send it text messages, which would be translated into a light and sound show.
Last spring, a man who had walked inside and sent a text message noticed his jacket was feeling warm.
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According to the Herald, the sun's rays bouncing off the interior at that exact moment lined up to create a narrow ray of light aimed directly at the man -- and it was powerful enough to singe his jacket.
The visitor was uninjured, but the incident prompted city officials to place a blue fence around the sculpture to keep people from venturing inside.
“We started asking questions of the artist, to see what might be causing it. Obviously, it’s the sun,” the city art manager told the Herald.
“But the question is: is that going to happen just once? Is it at a certain day and time?”
Changing the angle of the sphere, hammering it and dulling the interior didn't help. After a year of trying, officials decided to put the piece in storage until they can come up with a solution.
If the installation can't be made safe it may be permanently moved inside, although there's no room for the five-metre high sculpture inside the Genesis Centre.
