Eat and Seek patio opens at Calgary's Southcentre Mall
Visitors to Calgary’s Southcentre mall can now enjoy the wide variety of food court offerings in a brand new outdoor patio space designed by two local Alberta artists.
Changes to provincial restrictions regarding public spaces and retailer/restaurant capacities came into effect Tuesday.
In support of the many mall retailers and restaurants who’ve struggled though the yo-yo of changing health restrictions, Southcentre Mall partnered up with Calgary-based muralist Nicole Wolf and Edmonton creative Chris Provins to create Eat & Seek.
Boasting seating for 60 plus guests and with lots of space to play, the expansive outdoor art installation is a self-serve patio space meant to encourage Calgarians to support the local foodservice businesses at the mall by safely enjoying a takeaway meal outdoors.
Southcentre Mall's Hide and Seek patio
Alexandra Velosa, Southcentre's marketing manager, said she hopes that Eat and Seek will rally support from the community while bringing awareness to local creative talent.
“We wanted to do more than just put picnic tables outdoors in the parking lot. We wanted to do something nice that will encourage people to come here, enjoy, go in the mall, do some shopping, get some food out of the food court and then come and enjoy the outdoors," Velosa said.
The unique outdoor dining experience features interactive designs and wordplay that inspire visitors to hunt for hidden messages and symbols in a larger-than-life word search, attempt an unconventional hopscotch, and more.
CTV Calgary caught up with Nicole Wolf as she was painting some of the finishing touches.
“Chris and I were inspired by topographical maps and landforms, then I brought in my illustration and drew lines on top of the islands.” Wolf said. “What we wanted to do is provoke playfulness with children and the young at heart, the space is one that you can zoom around and find hidden symbols and messages, and there's blobs of color you can jump from and there's an adult difficulty level hopscotch in the corner. So I really hope this sparks joy for people.”
Eat and Seek patio, Southcentre Mall, Calgary
Wolf said the giant word search is filled with good intentions, "There's a few words hidden in there that we kind of dreamed up, I'd say that they're kind of like, a wish or a blessing toward people who are coming into this space."
According to a press release Southcentre also partnered with Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts) to showcase the work of emerging student artists. Eat and Seek includes original artwork from first-year student Jayden Manzara and design submissions from five additional students will also be part of the digital component on the Southcentre website.
Eat and Seek will be open to the public from June 1 until fall 2021 and is located by Southcentre Mall’s North Entrance near Starbucks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to squash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
A subset of Alzheimer's cases may be caused by two copies of a single gene, new research shows
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer’s disease — in people who inherit two copies of a worrisome gene.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.