Fitting for Calgary’s latest public artwork that pays homage to water, the unveiling of Gerry Judah’s Spirit of Water at the new BMO Centre plaza on May 22 was a wet one.

So it was with pouring rain that Judah unveiled the 70 foot tall, 45 feet wide, 112,000 steel sculpture painted in a custom shade of blue reminiscent of the glacial waters in Alberta’s Moraine and Peyto lakes.

Judah said that his goal was to create an art piece that embodied the power and vitality of water, with deep symbology about its energy and fluidity.

“It also celebrates the ancient glaciers that shaped Alberta, the energy of the Calgary Stampede, and the vital importance of water in First Nations traditions and in our lives today—particularly amid climate change,” he said.

“I hope the sculpture will serve as a symbol of unity and connection with the Calgary community and to all who visit this wonderful city and I’m very proud to be part of it.”

His work, which fills a central location in a new plaza located on the south side of the BMO Centre, is part of the Stampede’s collection of 14 outdoor public artworks and is an addition to the collection of 85 new art pieces designed specifically for the BMO Centre Expansion.

“For us, it’s really about telling stories telling the stories of Stampede, telling stories of our western culture through a really magnificent and eye-catching way in the BMO. It’s really threaded into the design of the building,” said Kerri Souriol, Calgary Stampede’s Vice-President of Park Development and Major Projects.

“The design team really left us some really great places to animate with this art. And so we’re excited that this is the first piece that you’re going to see when you arrive on park”

Spirt of Water is also set to be a major gathering point for the overall Culture and Entertainment District.

Clare LePan, Vice President of Communications and Strategic Partnerships at CMLC, said they’d always envisioned the BMO Centre’s public art as a major component of the district’s design.

“The reason being is really looking at how do we create these moments of delight surprise and gathering around a facility of this scale, and public art offers the opportunity to do that,” she said.

“The installation of this piece, now being completed, really starts to create a new identity as Stampede Park develops, as the Culture and Entertainment district develops, and we hope that that serves as that gathering point. That focal point, whether it’s during [Stampede] or through any other point of the year.”

Turning an idea into art

The design of Spirit of Water was announced by Judah back in November 2023, and since that time the design for the sculpture went to fabrication in the United Kingdom by Diales, and then installed in Calgary by Littlehampton Welding with assistance by Calgary firm Heavy.

It was initially chosen as the centerpiece of public art work for the BMO Centre by an international RFP that saw over 200 submissions.

“I wanted to choose something that had a global significance. When I saw the presentation requirements, it was clear that Calgary looked for something that would mark out the building and the space. Of course, we went through a number of orientation meetings to discuss the aspirations of the city, the history of the city and the geography and so forth, but I wanted to take it further,” said Judah.

“So, I decided on something like water, which is a global issue, a global element… but mostly because it will act as a way of Calgary saying we’re part of the world rather than just the city. This is the energy of the piece I think was critical.”

The color selection, in particular, out of all of the elements of the work, was the one that required the most work to create something unique.

“The big issue for this piece always has been the colour for me, and that more so than the rest of it is what I feel I’ve achieved,” Judah said.

Although reminiscent of the colour of glacier waters, Judah said the impetus for the color was to create something outside of the standard shades of blue.

“We needed a blue that would work in terms of being longer lasting, works with steel, and weather. So they have what they call the German Standard, the RAL colors, RAL blues, and you’ve got a good selection of blues but you see those blues everywhere. You see them on wheelbarrows and cranes,” Judah said.

Judah worked with International Paints to create a custom-mixed fluoropolymer aquamarine paint for Spirt of Water.

Art that has meaning now and into the future

Whether people will still find it an attractive and meaningful work in the decades to come, he said that he thought visitors to Stampede Park would.

“It’s a piece that connects visually globally, existentially, spiritually. I can’t see anything that will diminish even 10, 20, 30 years. I mean, look at Ronchamp in France. Look at these cathedrals, they still work. They’re still there. So this will work, and it’s a way of sort of mini-cathedral. It’s vaulted; it’s something you can go underneath, look through, and I don’t think it’ll diminish in any way whatsoever,” Judah said.

Judah said he learned through this work that he can still be thrilled by the outcome.

“I mean, really, honestly, it’s not me, it’s the group of people I work with. They’re a fantastic team. Someone once said ‘can I get any other company to make it.’ Well, no, not really. But John Lennon was once asked who’s a better drummer Pete Best or Ringo Starr? He said, ‘well, I don’t know who was a better drummer, but Ringo was a better Beatle,” Judah said.

“In a way, it’s my band. It’s a group that I work with, with the collaboration, the willingness to just take some risks. So that is what this is: The outcome of it’s not just me, it’s this group of people.”

Among those individuals who were pointed out as having really worked to make Spirit of Water come alive, were in addition to Dialis, Littlehampton, Heavy, and Stantec, were a pair of CMLC employees.

“I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Emma Stevens from CMLC who is promoting not only the Spirit of Water, but also the spirit of Calgary,” Judah said.

“Josh Sartorelli from CMLC who has been the backbone of this sculpture, offering his support, professionalism and patience in managing this entire project so efficiently and sensitively. Josh has truly been a partner, and is now I hope very much, a friend.”

The BMO Centre Expansion project is set to open to the public in June.