315 Artist in Residence - Brookfield Properties
In May 2024, Harvey Nichol joined the 315 Artist in Residence Program as its second-ever resident. A Manila-born, Calgary-raised multidisciplinary artist, Harvey’s practice is deeply rooted in an appreciation for Filipino culture, blending neo-expressionism, folklore, and street art into a distinct visual auto-ethnography.
Throughout his eight-month tenure in the heart of downtown Calgary, Harvey leveraged his entrepreneurial spirit to transform the residency into a hub for cultural exchange. Beyond the studio walls, he successfully hosted LIKHAAN, a three-day festival celebrating Filipino arts, alongside Neon Baybayin workshops and commercial design collaborations for the Brookfield tenant base. This multidisciplinary approach allowed him to explore new mediums while working toward the centrepiece of his residency: a nine-foot-tall assemblage sculpture titled Biringan: A Myth Reimagined.
The creation of Biringan was a deliberate, eight-month evolution that mirrored Harvey’s dual identity as a Filipino-Calgarian. Utilizing a modular approach, the work was divided into four distinct phases:
Prioritizing sustainability, Harvey spent months sourcing recycled elements from metal shop dumpsters and community donations. He transformed discarded office supplies, gears, and vintage electronics into the narrative components of a "Filipino-Futurist" landscape.
While his earlier works utilized foam and cardboard, the grandeur of a nine-foot installation required an industrial foundation. Harvey transitioned to welded steel, creating a sturdy structural frame to support the sculpture’s significant weight and complexity.
Following the steel skeleton, Harvey added what he calls the "muscle", intricate woodcuts that form the body and wings. He carved these into three distinct districts: a Southeast Asian pre-colonial temple top, a futuristic industrial Calgary midsection, and a base inspired by the urban landscapes of Tondo, Manila.
In the final stages, Harvey integrated "dystopian" ornaments, mechanical tubes and plastic toys to create a cohesive, futuristic aesthetic. The entire assembly was finished with a faux-bronze patina, unifying the disparate found objects into a singular, mythic icon.
Working primarily at night in the quiet of Bankers Hall, Harvey allowed the piece to shift and develop in real-time, drawing inspiration from the daily rush and nightly silence of the city core. This iterative process ensured that Biringan became more than a physical object; it became a layered exploration of class structure, cultural longing, and the resilience of the "lost." The resulting sculpture stands as a testament to Harvey’s vision of bringing different cities and histories together into a cohesive, contemporary form.
BIRINGAN, A MYTH REIMAGINED
Biringan: A Myth Reimagined is a 9-foot-tall mixed-media assemblage sculpture that fuses ancient Filipino folklore with elements of futurism, creating a dynamic narrative that transcends cultural boundaries. The sculpture’s head represents Apolaki, the Sun God in the Tagalog mythology, embodying light, power, and resilience. Inspired by the mythical city of Biringan, which translates to "where one finds the lost," this work imagines a futuristic city shrouded in mystery, a place where the forgotten, the displaced, and the lost are reborn in new forms. A city that exists beyond time.
As part of the 315 Residency at Bankers Hall, this piece connects the old and new, the spiritual and the urban, offering a visual dialogue between forgotten mythology and the modern cityscape that surrounds it. The design of the sculpture also takes cues from the surrounding architecture of Calgary's downtown core, where the angular shapes and towering forms of the city’s buildings influenced the sculpture’s sharp lines and geometric structures. The bronze patina-like colour scheme evokes the rich history of monuments like the Statue of Liberty which stands as a timeless symbol of hope, and the journey of immigrants seeking a new life. The sculpture intentionally incorporates multiple layers of interpretation, inviting viewers to engage with the work and weave their own tales from its elements.
About the Program
The 315 Artist in Residence Program is part of Brookfield Properties’ global Arts & Events initiative, proudly rooted in Calgary, Alberta. Situated in the heart of the Downtown Core, their properties - Bankers Hall, Bankers Court, Brookfield Place, Fifth Avenue Place, and Suncor Energy Centre - play a vital role in supporting the city’s energy and vibrancy. Recognized as one of the world’s most livable cities, Calgary thrives on a dynamic synergy between the arts and community, and Brookfield Properties is dedicated to fostering that spirit both Downtown and within their spaces.
At Bankers Hall, they created a studio for artists to work, explore, and bring bold ideas to life. Through this program, artists are given the opportunity to create large-scale works that are exhibited their spaces, enriching the everyday experience.
EXHIBITION LOCATION:
Bankers Hall
Level 4
Now until December 2025