location: Water Services Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
materials: Earthcasting (reinforced concrete with iron oxide cast in molds dug from the earth), concrete, terrazzo, pigment
Steward (2007) is a public art piece by American artist Thomas Sayre. Steward was created in collaboration with a team of Canadian architects for the City of Calgary’s Water Services Center. The work both funnels rainwater on the site along handcrafted runnels into cisterns for summer irrigation, and pronounces itself a visual symbol of the sought-after balance between nature and mankind. Multiple earthcast vessels speak to the delicate balance between the natural rhythms of precipitation and the need of humans to collect, channel, and contain water.