Digital Orca

Digital Orca is a 2009 sculpture of a killer whale by Douglas Coupland, installed next to the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.^[2] The powder coated aluminium sculpture on a stainless steel frame is owned by Pavco, a crown corporation of British Columbia which operates BC Place Stadium and the Vancouver Convention Centre.^[2]

Digital Orca
The sculpture in 2013
Artist	Douglas Coupland
Year	2009 (2009)
Medium	Aluminium stainless steel
Subject	Killer whale
Dimensions	8[1] m (25 ft)
Location	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates	49.28977°N 123.11679°W / 49.28977; -123.11679
Owner	Pavco[2]

History

The sculpture was installed in 2009 and commissioned by the city of Vancouver.^[3]

In 2022, a group protesting the logging of old-growth forests in British Columbia spray painted landmarks around Vancouver, including Digital Orca.^[4]

Description

The sculpture is located at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver, Canada.^[5] The sculpture depicts a killer whale created by black and white cubes,^[6] creating a visual effect as if it were a pixellated digital image. The sculpture has a steel armature and aluminum cladding.^[3]

Reception

It was described as "both beautiful and bizarre" in Architectural Design.^[3] John Ortved in Vogue said the statue "grapples with modernization and the digital age" by making the killer whale less scary.^[7]

See also

• 2009 in art