The Vegreville egg is a giant
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
of a
pysanka
The tradition of egg decoration in Slavic cultures originated in pagan times,Kazimierz Moszyński – Kultura ludowa Słowian, Kraków 1929Anna Zadrożyńska – Powtarzać czas początku, Warsaw 1985, and was transformed by the process of r ...
, a Ukrainian-style
Easter egg
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...
. The work by Paul Maxym Sembaliuk is built of an intricate set of two-dimensional
anodized aluminum
Anodizing is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts.
The process is called ''anodizing'' because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electro ...
tiles in the shape of
congruent
Congruence may refer to:
Mathematics
* Congruence (geometry), being the same size and shape
* Congruence or congruence relation, in abstract algebra, an equivalence relation on an algebraic structure that is compatible with the structure
* In mod ...
equilateral
In geometry, an equilateral triangle is a triangle in which all three sides have the same length. In the familiar Euclidean geometry, an equilateral triangle is also equiangular; that is, all three internal angles are also congruent to each othe ...
triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three Edge (geometry), edges and three Vertex (geometry), vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC.
In Euclidean geometry, an ...
s and star-shaped
hexagon
In geometry, a hexagon (from Ancient Greek, Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple polygon, simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°.
Regular hexa ...
s, fashioned over an
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
framework. The egg is long and three and a half storeys high, weighing in at .
It is the second largest pysanka in the world (the biggest one was built into part of the Kolomyia
Pysanka Museum
The current Pysanka Museum building was built in 2000 in the western Ukrainian city of Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivska Oblast. Previously the pysanka collection had been housed in the Kolomyia church of the Annunciation. The museum is part of the Natio ...
in
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, in 2000).
The sculpture was commissioned by the town of
Vegreville
Vegreville ( uk, Веґревіль) is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is on Highway 16A approximately east of Edmonton, Alberta's capital city. It was incorporated as a town in 1906, and that year also saw the founding of the ''Vegrev ...
, in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
noted for its high
Ukrainian Canadian
Ukrainian Canadians ( uk, Українські канадці, Україноканадці, translit=Ukrayins'ki kanadtsi, Ukrayinokanadtsi; french: Canadiens d'origine ukrainienne) are Canadians, Canadian citizens of Ukrainians, Ukrainian desce ...
population. In order to obtain funding for it, the town applied for a federal government grant and was eventually able to obtain some funding, but only if the sculpture was dedicated to the 1975
centennial
{{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation)
A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years.
Notable events
Notable centennial events at a ...
of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
. Vegreville received a grant to construct the egg, a nod at
Ukrainian culture
The culture of Ukraine is the composite of the material and spiritual values of the Ukrainian people that has formed throughout the history of Ukraine. It is closely intertwined with ethnic studies about ethnic Ukrainians and Ukrainian historiog ...
in Canada,
and specifically at early
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
settlements east of
Edmonton, Alberta
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...
.
The egg is one of the main
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural b ...
s along the
Yellowhead Highway
The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...
, and thousands of tourists visit it yearly.
It is located at the north side of
Alberta Highway 16A
Alberta Provincial Highway No. 16A, commonly referred to as Highway 16A, is the designation of three alternate routes off Alberta Highway 16 (the Yellowhead highway) in Alberta, Canada. The Evansburg – Entwistle section is call ...
in Elk's Park.
Design
The sculpture was designed by Paul Maxym Sembaliuk (1929–2019), a Canadian artist of Ukrainian descent who was born and raised in the
Willingdon and Vegreville area.
It was realized with the help of computer scientist
Ronald Resch
Ron Resch (Ronald Dale Resch) was an artist, computer scientist, and applied geometrist, known for his work involving folding paper, origami tessellations and 3D polyhedrons.
Resch studied art at the University of Iowa receiving his Master ...
.
In the Pysanka's early conception, many types of materials were considered, from concrete to wood. The small sum of money granted to Vegreville was not nearly enough to fund the building of the egg and Paul used many of his political and community contacts to muster up support for the project. Paul was at the time a graphic artist working for the Alberta government. A few years earlier, Paul had managed the design and production of a 25 million dollar province wide
anodized aluminum
Anodizing is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts.
The process is called ''anodizing'' because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electro ...
signage project; the contract having been awarded to Permaloy coatings division in Alberta. A few years later, Paul asked Permaloy if they would, as a favour to the Ukrainian immigrants of Canada, donate money and the anodized aluminum for the Pysanka's construction. Permaloy readily agreed. Paul wanted to use anodized aluminum because of its durability and the fact that the colours would never fade under the rays of the sun.
The next problem was to find a technical solution for the use of the aluminum in the Pysanka's construction. Paul's first cousin, Dr. John Ruptash had also grown up in the Vegreville Area. Dr. Ruptash was at the time dean of engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa. He was an aeronautical engineer. Dr. Ruptash suggested to Paul that a computer be used to execute the technical drawings of the Pysanka. He made some phone calls and recommended to Paul an old friend of his, Dr. Ron Resch and his team of mathematicians at the University of Utah.
Though the surface area of an egg can be difficult to solve mathematically, the enigma of how to assemble two-dimensional tiles onto a three-dimensional egg was eventually solved
by
Ronald Resch
Ron Resch (Ronald Dale Resch) was an artist, computer scientist, and applied geometrist, known for his work involving folding paper, origami tessellations and 3D polyhedrons.
Resch studied art at the University of Iowa receiving his Master ...
,
a computer science professor from the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
, and his team that included Robert McDermott, who wrote an algorithm to cast a periodic
B-spline
In the mathematical subfield of numerical analysis, a B-spline or basis spline is a spline function that has minimal support with respect to a given degree, smoothness, and domain partition. Any spline function of given degree can be expresse ...
curve that was used to define and manufacture the egg.
It was the first physical structure designed entirely with computer-aided geometric modeling software.
Resch and his team tiled the egg using a total of 1108 congruent equilateral triangles, 524 concave hexagons (3-pointed stars), 3,512 visible facets, 6,978 nuts and bolts and 177 internal struts.
The tiles range in thickness from to and are jointed at angles ranging from 1° at the center to 7° at the tips. These are held together by an internal framework of radiating spokes, which connect the egg's "shell."
The ''pysanka'' leans at a 30° relative to the base, and turns with the wind similar to the motions of a
weather vane
A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...
.
The software created to guide the lasers which cut the Pysanka's tiles was eventually purchased and used for the cutting of the exterior tiles of the
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...
.
Gallery
File:VegrevillePysanka.JPG, The July Pysanka Festival showcases Ukrainian culture in Alberta
File:Vegreville pysanka August 2008.jpg, Different view of the detailed Egg
References
Further reading
*
External links
July 28, 1975: World’s largest Easter egg all that it is cracked up to be
{{Eggs
Outdoor sculptures in Canada
Monuments and memorials in Alberta
1975 sculptures
Eggs in culture
Novelty buildings in Canada
Roadside attractions in Canada
Ukrainian-Canadian culture
1975 establishments in Alberta
1975 in computing
Design history