There’s a killer on the loose at the Vancouver waterfront, but nobody’s blubbering about it!
Looking like he’s jumped out of a 1980s video game and into your heart, Digital Orca was created by the dashing Douglas Coupland and made a splash when fin-stalled in 2009. Flanked by the pristine waters of Vancouver Harbour and framed by the majestic North Shore Mountains, there are few more captivatingly unique Big Things.
This extra-orca-nary example of urban art strikes a delicate balance between surrealism and hyperrealism. He’s at once an echo from pre-colonial times, and glimpse into an uncertain future. Shunning the sensual curves normally associated with waterborne mammals, this blocky brute proves it’s hip to be square.
The art world has long been fascinated by whales, with the wood-and steel Nala in Hervey Bay and the quirky Moby Big in Port Stephens. I think the three of them should get together and start a podcast!
Best of all, admission is free, Willy!
Electronic Light Orca-stra
Digital Orca is a playful chap who seems to be having a whale of a time, but Coupland – author of emotionally-taxing novels Shampoo Planet and All Families Are Psychotic – sees more in this whale.
“The Digital Orca sculpture breaks down a three-dimensional Orca whale into cubic pixels – making a familiar symbol of the West Coast become something unexpected and new,” Dougie ranted. “This use of natural imagery modified by technology bridges the past to the future.
“It speaks to the people and activities that created Vancouver’s thriving harbour culture, while addressing the massive changes reshaping the BC economy. The sculpture’s metal construction and lighting components evoke the daily moods of the harbour and the diversity of those who work there.”
I’m not sure things are as black and white as that, Dougie!
An orca-ward situation with Baxter the Wonderdog
Digital Orca has become a favourite spot for social media influencers to take digital photos, none more so than Baxter the Wonderdog.
This handsome havapoo has gained a legion of admirers by mimicking Digital Orca’s playful posture. He’s considered royalty in Canada, enjoying a celebrity status comparable to my own in Australia.
Upon discovering the world’s foremost expert on Big Things was in their midst, the Vancouver Tourism Board organised a promotional photography session with myself, Baxter and Digital Orca. What seemed like a dream come true soon became a nightmare, however. Baxter’s exuberant prancing and luscious fur captured the imagination of the gathered crowd, who were soon whipped into a frenzy.
My own rhythmic thrusts were largely ignored, as the crowd trampled over me to get closer to Baxter. Everything was ‘Baxter this’ and ‘Baxter that’ and ‘You won’t believe what Baxter just did!’ My advertised lecture on the cultural significance of Digital Orca and his influence over the concept of the digital nomad’ was forgotten. The key to the city I’d been promised tossed into a bin.
Even the sumptuous Japanese-and-Mexican fusion feast that had been laid out for lunch was dumped in a cheap plastic bowl and fed to Baxter who, I suspect, failed to recognise the cultural significance of of what he was eating. I left in tears as Digital Orca and Baxter the Wonderdog posed before the world’s media.
Sadly, this wasn’t the first time I’ve been upstaged by a dog, nor, I fear, shall it be the last.
