Living Root Bridge
Living Root Bridge by Bau & Cos Studio is one of many public artworks on display across the City of Mississauga.
Bau & Cos Studio, 2023
Polycarbonate
Derry Road, east of Glen Erin Drive
About the artwork
“There is an irony to Meadowvale – meadow (grassland) and vale (valley). It recalls a memory of the rural landscape. Now, many plants and trees are buried in concrete and asphalt, while the animals sneak through the city’s dark crevices. Residents of Mississauga’s Meadowvale frequently spot foxes, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, and skunks roaming their streets at night.
We were inspired to create a living-root-bridge over the loud and busy Derry Road, to promote the existence of Meadowvale’s wildlife and plant species.
From afar, the artwork looks as if the bridge is swallowed by roots, branches, wildflowers, and vines. As you walk closer and examine the intricate details of the artwork, faces of animals start to unravel. Drawn by a need to bring nature back to the city, the artwork beautifies the bridge and the surrounding environment with an immersive interplay of light and shadow and the language of camouflage.
The work serves as a reminder to residents to be welcoming. Many of Meadowvale’s inhabitants come from elsewhere, and they, like the animals, seek a better life in the city. Metaphorically, Meadowvale must continue to keep its doors open to nature, to newcomers, and to new opportunities.”
– Andres Bautista and Novka Ćosović
Gallery
About the artists
Bau & Cos Studio is a Toronto-based architecture and design firm, founded by Andres Bautista and Novka Ćosović. Their work is very versatile – as architects and designers, they work on residential, commercial, and public art work. The studio has been commissioned to design projects for City of Mississauga, City of Burlington, Heritage Toronto, Nuit Blanche, Myseum of Toronto, Pride Week, as well as various residential projects throughout Ontario.
For more, follow the artists on Instagram @bauandcos or visit their website.
More information
Photography by Bau and Cos Studio.