It might be tough to think about cherry blossoms when there’s still snow on the ground, but a new art installation in Burnaby will do its best to make you forget about winter.
From March 5 to 31, Metropolis at Metrotown’s Grand Court will be the site of Blossom at Metropolis, a one-of-a-kind art installation made up of more than 250,000 cherry blossoms.
Created by Vancouver interactive-arts company Hfour, Blossom at Metropolis encourages people to wander, take photos (including in an Instagram-worthy “selfie zone”), and sit in awe of the quarter-million-plus blossoms, which will be reflected in dozens of mirror spheres (with the largest being four metres in size) that create the illusion of infinite blooms hanging above them.
As well, there will be a variety of floral art and Japanese cultural workshops every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the installation’s 27 days, presented in collaboration with MUJI (Workshop Wednesdays) and Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Workshops include origami, brush lettering, traditional Japanese paper and fabric art, flower arranging, traditional Japanese folk dancing, and much more. Visit metropolisatmetrotown.com for the complete schedule, registration information, and age restrictions (some workshops are all-ages).
“Blossom at Metropolis is unlike anything we’ve hosted here before,” said Judy Black, marketing director for Metropolis at Metrotown. “We can’t wait to see the reactions of our guests and how they interpret this art installation, enjoy one of our many workshops, and share their experiences with their family and friends.”
Stuart Ward, Creative Director of Hfour, adds: “Our team always aims to create experiential works of art that people can really lose themselves in. With Blossom at Metropolis, we think we’ve achieved something special that everyone, no matter their age or background, will connect to. It’s our largest and most visual experience in Canada to date, and we’re excited to share this with Metropolis.”
Visitors to the installation will also have the opportunity to enter for a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree. In addition, by sharing their videos and photos of their visit on Instagram using #METBlossom and @metropolisatmet, they can also enter for a chance to win a weekly Blossom prize package or a $500 Metropolis at Metrotown gift card.
