Client: City of Mississauga

Overview

“Neighbours” is a permanent public art installation located along Mavis Road in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Located at 43°37’35.7″N 79°42’55.2″W, there is a bridge over Fletcher’s creek that is part of the busy and fairly new thoroughfare that is Mavis Road.

Each of the four corners of the Mavis Bridge holds a secret. Groups of bronze sculptural ravine animals have been placed on the backsides of the walls, peeking into the “human world.” These are interpretations of fauna that are known to currently inhabit Fletcher’s Creek, which is located below the bridge: an eastern painted turtle, a pileated woodpecker, an eastern garter snake, a coyote pup, a white-footed mouse, a green frog, a spotted salamander, an eastern cottontail rabbit, a pair of bumblebees, a green darner dragonfly, a monarch butterfly, a juvenile beaver and a long-tailed weasel. Many of these sculptures were inspired by animals the artist personally encountered while exploring the Fletcher’s Creek trail system.

The piece has the tone of a fable; we can imagine these animals made the decision to clamber up to road level and are cautiously observing us with a little bit of apprehension and a great deal of curiosity.

Goals

The goals of the project was to raise awareness of the natural world under the bridge (the creek, trail, flora and fauna), bring awareness to the different historical layers of the land that the site is situated on, and to create an artwork that is meaningful and relevant to neighbourhood residents.

Additional Information

Jon Sasaki is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist who explores many concurrent streams of inquiry that regularly intertwine in surprising ways. His work has been exhibited across Canada and internationally. Photos by Jon Sasaki.