Overview

Below Before Between is an integrated artwork for the 5th street underpass concept that reminds users of the important relationship Calgary has to water, both past and present. This downtown street serves as a current physical connection between the Bow and Elbow rivers while also providing a rare subterranean experience for pedestrians that connects them the rich geological and hydrological histories that exist under Calgary’s visible industrial and infrastructural layers.

A 240 million year old fossilized ripple stone supplied by the Rundle Rock (Kamenka) Quarry was used to create molds for the undulating precast concrete wall, evidence of this area’s prehistoric history as an inland sea. Curving, and colourful ridged elements line the other side of the pathway, recalling esker formations that were created by deposits of glacial meltwaters during another period of the area’s ancient history. Together these artistic elements provide a cohesive, colourful, illuminated experience that links all the spaces of the underpass into a dynamic unified whole to delight and intrigue commuters on their journey.