Invisible Gate

At the base of the original Harbin Gate were ​“Foo Dogs,” or Guardian Lions — traditional Chinese architectural ornaments commonly used to mark gateways and entrances. The new pair of sculptures by Studio F‑Minus are contemporary re-imaginings of those original Lions. Invisible Gate returns this traditional symbol of the Chinatown community to the site, while also expanding the symbol to contain all the histories of all neighbourhood communities that have intersected with it. 

Through a series of workshops with the local community, Mitchell Chan and Brad Hindson of Toronto’s Studio F‑Minus worked alongside Edmonton-based community organizer Shawn Tse to gather personal objects or ​“artifacts” to embed within the work. Made of layers of transparent material, Studio F‑Minus considers these layers as resembling an archaeological dig: each community leaves a trace of its history through artifacts and objects, and all of these traces organized themselves as layers set into the earth. Invisible Gate preserves objects contributed by members of the community by embedding them in the layers of this permanent sculpture. In this way, everyone leaves a mark on the site, and the monument celebrates the experiences, both everyday and exceptional, of the people here.