''Dude Chilling Park'' is a sign installation, originally created as a prank, which now has official public art status in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It is located on the southwest corner of Guelph Park at the 2300 block of Brunswick Street in the Mount Pleasant area of the city. It references the park's sculpture " Reclining Figure".

History

In November 2012, the sign was created as a prank by local artist Viktor Briestensky, as a light-hearted reference to "Reclining Figure", a public art piece by Michael Dennis installed in Guelph Park in 1991.

Vancouver Park Board The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, commonly referred to as the Vancouver Park Board, is the elected board with exclusive possession, jurisdiction and control over public parks in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Established by sectio ...

staff quickly removed the sign, but local resident Dustin Bromley launched an online petition to reinstall the sign. After more than 1,800 signatures of support, the Parks Board decided to reinstall the sign permanently on February 27, 2014, because it celebrates the unique characteristics of the park and neighbouring community. In September 2014, the installation was stolen but has since been replaced. In July 2023, Dude Chilling Park was used to collect donations for residents that had been displaced in a fire.

Popular culture

International attention for ''Dude Chilling Park'' included American late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel who said "Between Dude Chilling Park and Mayor Ford, I might have to move to Canada." R&B Brewing, a local brewery, created "Dude Chilling

Pale Ale Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at that time. Diff ...

" in their year-round line-up as a tribute. The Vancouver Park Board donated a "Barge Chilling Beach" sign that was installed at Sunset Beach, where a wayward

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

had been grounded following the November 2021 floods. The sign was later painted over with ("ee-ay-ul-shun"), the name of the beach in the

Squamish language Squamish (; ', ''sníchim'' meaning "language") is a Coast Salish language spoken by the Squamish people of the Pacific Northwest. It is spoken in the area that is now called southwestern British Columbia, Canada, centred on their reserve commun ...

, in graffiti. The Park Board removed the sign in late January 2022.

References

External links

* {{Public art in Vancouver Individual signs Practical jokes Public art in Vancouver 2012 establishments in British Columbia Installation art