The City of Vancouver has backed down on plans to install a sculpture at the south end of the Granville Street after backlash from a group of residents.
The artwork, Trans Am Rapture, is composed of five crushed cars on top of a cedar tree trunk.
It was previously installed on Quebec Street near Science World, but was removed in 2021 for restoration after structural damage and contamination from birds.
Earlier this month, the city announced the new location in the Granville Loop Park, which prompted a petition from angry neighbours, who said it was too large and imposing for the location.
A petition against the sculpture gathered about 250 signatures.
In a media release on Wednesday, the city said the decision to find a new location followed “further consideration of the size and scale of the artwork in relation to the site.”
“City staff have been asked to revisit previously assessed locations and explore potential new ones that can better accommodate the artwork.”
The city said it will find a smaller-scale public artwork to install in the park.
“We acknowledge the work undertaken by all involved to site this art and remain committed to celebrating Trans Am Rapture — an iconic, local public artwork — as we work toward identifying a new location for its reinstallation,” the city said.
Originally installed in 2015 for the Vancouver Biennale, the 10-metre sculpture by Marcus Bowcott and Helene Aspinall is meant to ask questions about “the cycle of production and consumption” and the role of the car in our culture as “a manufactured want and symbol of extremes; practicality and luxury, necessity and waste,” according to the artists.
It was originally to be a temporary installation, but became a permanent part of the city’s collection following a donation from billionaire Chip Wilson.