Law Times

PAGE 4 NEWS augusT 23, 2010 • Law Times Faskens modernizes art collection 'The way they designed this place, it's like a gallery' BY MICHAEL McKIERNAN Law Times F or those wondering about the age of Fasken Mar- tineau DuMoulin LLP's Toronto offi ce, the clues are ev- erywhere at its 24th- fl oor recep- tion in the Bay Adelaide Centre. Th e fi rm's lawyers have had a little bit more than a month to settle into new offi ces, a fact to which the pristine full-length win- dows, gleaming marble fl oors, and store-fresh smell emanating from the sofas will attest. But they're not the only new things at Faskens. A refreshed art collection is taking shape on the walls of the barely completed cor- ridors with a host of new contem- porary works at its heart. Eighteen months ago, after fi - nalizing the move, the fi rm seized on the opportunity to update a collection that had been gather- ing dust on the walls of its old of- fi ces. To do so, it established an art committee of seven young partners with a mandate to restart the collection almost from scratch after many static years. "We had a very nice collec- tion, but it just wasn't really up to date," says Robert Elliott, one of the members of the commit- tee. "We wanted to have a more contemporary feel." Some selected works remain and are now interspersed among the new purchases to maintain a connection to the fi rm's past, but Elliott says he hopes the new approach to art refl ects Faskens' outlook more generally. "We wanted the art to be forward-looking and project an image that the partners who will lead the fi rm in the future will be happy with," he says. Th e fi rm bought some piec- es more than a year ago but held them in storage until ear- lier this month. "We wanted the splash of the new space to include Faskens' Robert Elliott next to a James Carl sculpture called "Untitled (Silver)." the new art, so this is very new for most people," Elliott says. Th e long-range planning I'd never even seen the space. I've never worked like that in my life." involved unique chal- lenges for Jeanne Par- kin, the art consul- tant who guided the committee through the process. "I had to work from fl oor plans," she says. "It was being remodelled, so d nev Close to the reception desk, an early favourite has emerged. A video installation by Montre- aler Luc Courchesne, "Ocean Beach, San Francisco, Califor- nia," captures the scene from a fi sh-eye lens that gives an ellip- tical 360-degree view of waves lapping up against the shore. Th e label describing the work hasn't gone up yet, but that hasn't stopped people from enjoying it, according to David Menzel, the confer- ence fl oor co-ordinator. Already, he has seen many guests and Art Law and the employees mesmerized by the images. "People just stand there look- ing at it, watching to see what the people on the beach are do- ing," he says. "If you wait long enough, you can see a dog running in and out of the water." Elliott says the committee was keen to broaden the scope of a collection previously dominated by oil and acrylic paintings. "Contemporary art today uses all sorts of media, and I think it's important that we show we un- derstand the world that we are living in. . . . We live in an elec- tronic world — why shouldn't we have electronic art?" Th e committee also added a sculpture made from recycled ve- netian blinds by James Carl and a number of photographs, in- cluding a triptych from Edward Burtynsky's renowned Quarries series. Th e images of a Portuguese quarry, which have received pride of place outside of the main con- ference room, are designed to re- fl ect Faskens' leading role in the global mining world. Around the corner, a blank wall awaits adornment while workers on ladders complete al- terations to the lighting fi xtures that will illuminate the art. El- liott says the move gave the fi rm an opportunity to design its space around the collection. Wide corridors and specialized lighting optimize viewing condi- tions, while tinted glass doors al- low plenty of natural light into the space without risking the damage that direct sunlight can do. "Our old place wasn't really good for showing art," Elliott says. "Th e way they designed this place, it's like a gallery." At the same time, the fresh KEYCITE® — CANADA'S ONLY COMPLETE LEGISLATIVE CITATOR ALL THE ESSENTIAL PIECES FOR UNDERSTANDING LEGISLATION Only KeyCite® goes beyond statutes to offer a complete legislative Citator service. KeyCite gives you Rules and Regulations plus International Treaties and Canadian as well as Foreign Legislation. Narrow your results by key terms using KeyCite Locate. Use KeyCite Alert to track and receive e-mail notification of new developments in selected legislation. Get Better Results Faster with Westlaw® Canada Call 1-866-609-5811 or visit www.westlawcanada.com environment has given a new lease on life to older paintings that made the trip from the old offi ce in the TD Bank Tower. A work featuring a Barcelona street scene by Vancouver art- ist Ian Wallace, which the fi rm has owned for 15 years, has never looked better, says Elliott. "Th ere's a dialogue with the other pieces, and it's in a space that is quite contemporary." In the meantime, Elliott hopes the committee won't simply slip into the background now that the moving project is nearing comple- tion. "I think we'd like to buy a new piece or two periodically to keep the collection looking like it's evolving and fresh," he says. Elliott notes the committee included people with varying degrees of knowledge but with a shared enthusiasm for art. Ac- cording to Parkin, that sentiment was evident during her dealings with the committee. "Th ey're having a ball," she says. "It's so exciting to see be- cause they've come so far in the last couple of years." LT Th is is the fourth instalment in the Law Times summer series looking at law fi rms' art collections. Untitled-1 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 8/17/10 12:52:27 PM Photo: Michael McKiernan

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