Public art exhibit uses Stephen Avenue tree sculptures as a canvas

Novus Texturea uses four kilometres of ribbon and eight kilometres of thread to wrap Stephen Avenue's Galleria Trees with colours.

There's a colourful new art installation along Stephen Avenue for Calgarians to enjoy.

The piece, called Novus Texturea, consists of fabric ribbons weaved through an existing art installation in the downtown area, the Galleria Trees.

Novus utilizes more than four kilometres of straps, eight kilometres of threads and took more than 400 hours to put together.

Gordon Skilling and Jolie Bird created Novus and say everyone who sees it will experience something different.

"I want people to question their surroundings," Skilling told CTV News in an interview on Monday. "It's an aesthetic experience but then they can go deeper if they want to in questioning the urban environment.

"What are we doing as a city? What direction are we moving to?"

Mark Garner with the Calgary Downtown Association says public art helps with the revitalization of the area.

"It really is making this a backdrop for the mall. We want people to come back to Stephen Ave., see the installation and support the local businesses and reconnect with downtown Calgary after the pandemic."

Funding for Novus came from the federal government's Canada Community Revitalization Fund.