Have you ever seen the thing pictured above and wondered what the heck it even is? If the answer is yes, you're not alone.
It's art, of course.
Unveiled, as it were, in 2008, there are actually two of them. They were commissioned by the City of Vancouver's Public Art Program back in 2008, and the budget was $180,000 each. They're the work of artist Marko Simcic, and their title is Park.
Constructed of stainless steel and a chassis, they took years to construct. The works are occasionally towed to new locations around the city where they're parked in public spaces.
They had recently become more functional, serving to help with traffic calming along Prior St in front of Strathcona Park, but have since been relocated a couple of blocks to the north.
Why do they even exist, you ask? As explained in their brochure, they're supposed to make you stop and think;
"Cars are a paradox of convenience and inconvenience, and carry the concepts of autonomy and individual freedom. Park plays with what the streets permit, provoking a consideration of the short history of our attachment to the automobile and a reconsideration of its future."
Now you know.
