This blog post is big! It’s packed with giant things ― specifically bigger-than-life sculptures of everyday objects designed to delight, amuse and grab attention. These preposterously sized ordinary items run the gamut from serious works of art to quirky roadside attractions.
First up, is The Big Ceilidh Fiddle, an astonishingly realistic replica of a standard fiddle 20 times larger than life, found on the waterfront in Sydney, Nova Scotia. It measures 17 metres (55 feet) tall ― approximately the height of a five-story building ― and weighs more than 10 tons. This incredible metal sculpture was created by Cyril Hearn, an artist and welder, of Cape Breton Fabricators. It is made of painted, welded steel plate and stainless-steel aircraft cable.
The Big Ceilidh Fiddle is the perfect symbol of Cape Breton’s cultural heritage. “The Big Fiddle celebrates the important role fiddlers and their music have played in the cultural heritage of Cape Breton Island” explains the exhibit sign. “Fiddle music was first brought to Cape Breton by Scottish immigrants. Today’s music also features Acadian, Irish and Mi’kmaq influences. Fiddle music flourishes all over Cape Breton Island”.
Here’s The Big Ceilidh Fiddle viewed from across the water with the Algoscotia, an Algoma Central liquid products tanker, to the left and the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion to the right. 
Another large-scale sculpture paying homage to its location is School Chair found in downtown Dartmouth. “The artwork was commissioned to recognize the important community impact the Greenvale School played in the lives of generations of Dartmouth residents” explains the press release announcing its installation. “As its name suggests, School Chair references iconic school chair and desk designs from different eras, intended to create a sense of continuity between past and present associations to schools as institutions of learning and fixtures of our collective youth experience. The sculpture serves as a playful marker of scholastic activity and reflects upon the legacy of the Greenvale School to downtown Dartmouth and its residents, past and present.” 
School Chair was conceived by local artist Ilan Sandler and fabricated of painted aluminum with his team at Sandler Studio in Dartmouth. This gigantic school chair is 4.6 metres (15 feet) high. The grand scale is easier to appreciate with a human in the picture. 
One of the first bigger-than-life objects I can remember seeing in person was this giant pair of scissors cutting a blue ribbon. The artist’s ability to transform an ordinary, everyday household tool into something truly striking made a lasting impression. 
The colorful, large-scale, welded steel sculpture, titled Renaissance, was the work of steel sculptor Robert Ellison. It was on display at CornerStone Sonoma in California at the time but has since been relocated to the College of Marin campus. Renaissance showcases Ellison’s signature style of playful whimsy executed in a massive steel structure measuring 3 x 4.9 x 5.3 metres (10 x 16 x 17.5 feet). 
Ellison’s giant scissors raised my awareness and appreciation for bigger-than-life sculptures of everyday objects. But I’m even more impressed when an artist scales up an ordinary object into something extraordinary and functional.
This sculpture, titled Trail Blossom, by Rick Herzog is the perfect example. The five, gigantic, daisy-like flowers standing 4.6 metres (21 feet) tall make a bold statement along the Firefly Trail in Dudley Park, Athens, Georgia. I’ve shared this artwork before (in the blog post Sculpture Parks: Crafted Art + Crafted Nature), but it bears repeating as a terrific illustration of functional art. 
Three benches are incorporated into the sculpture offering trail walkers and riders a spot to rest. One of the benches is shaded with a giant leaf. Interestingly, according to the Athens-Clarke County Public Art website, “the elements of the flowers and benches are inspired by skateboards and bike parts” in a nod to the multi-use trail. 
Another great example of a larger-than-life everyday object sculpted for both form and function is the Kinoko Bunko (Mushroom Library) located inside the Kyoto Botanical Garden in Kyoto, Japan. Four super-sized, brightly-coloured mushrooms are found in an open-air, children’s library near a playground in the Garden.
Ingeniously, the stems of the mushrooms open to reveal a series of shelves stocked with children’s books. Visitors are encouraged to select a book from the 2,400 books and settle down to read in the beautiful park. It’s the ultimate combination of fantastical design and community service. 
In my experience, finding larger-than-life sculptures which serve a functional purpose is rare. It’s far more common to find them as promotional attention-grabbers. For instance, giant food items are often used to highlight local food specialties.
Shown below is the giant potato outside The Canadian Potato Museum in O’Leary, Prince Edward Island. Canada’s smallest province grows one-quarter of the potatoes in the country and is the largest potato-producing province in Canada. So, it’s fitting the Canadian Potato Museum would be located here. And it’s equally fitting that a giant potato would call attention to this fascinating story. See my previous post One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four to learn more. 
The super-sized sculpture titled the World’s Largest Lobster is an impressive, realistic representation of a lobster. Located in Shediac, New Brunswick, it is a very popular tribute to the local lobster fishing industry. To be 100% accurate about it, Shediac’s lobster was the world’s largest when it was unveiled in 1990 but that is no longer the case. According to Wikipedia, that honour now goes to an even larger lobster sculpture built in Qianjiang, China several years later. 
As noted on the exhibit sign “The World’s Largest Lobster was created and constructed by the late Winston Bronnum (notable animal sculptor) of Penobsquis, New Brunswick. The sculpture, which is made of reinforced concrete and steel, measures 10.7 meters in length and 5 meters in height [35 x 16.5 feet] and took 3 years to complete. This masterpiece weighs 50 metric tons and rests on a 32 metric ton pedestal.” 
Another food-related roadside attraction can be found in Oxford, Nova Scotia. Sitting directly on Main Street, this giant, silly blueberry proudly celebrates Oxford’s claim as the “Wild Blueberry Capital of Canada”. Dubbed Oxley, the super-sized fruit is approximately 2.4 metres (8 feet) in diameter. 
A similar, massive, anthropomorphic berry can be found in Great Village, Nova Scotia. The Strawberry Man has long been the cheerful mascot of Millen Farms, an award-winning, family-owned sustainable berry farm. 
I’d like to wrap up this blog post with a beautiful hummingbird sculpture from my old stomping grounds ― the village of Middle Musquodoboit in Nova Scotia. The sculpture was gifted to the community by the late Roberta (Bobby) Annand, a well-known, beloved local artist. Using her own sketches to communicate her vision, she engaged Atlantex Creative Works to design and build the delightful sculpture. 
“During the development of the concept there were two guiding design parameters we followed” explains Atlantex Creative Works in their Facebook post commemorating the sculpture’s unveiling. “The first was that we wanted the hummingbird to have the appearance, as much as possible, that it is truly hovering in place. The second was that we didn’t want the support structure to look like a support structure. We wanted it to play a part in the sculpture.” I’d say they nailed it! 
“The sculpture features bold, iridescent colours and carefully engineered contours that mimic the shimmer and speed of the real bird.” The hummingbird is nearly 5 metres (16 feet) high and 2.4 metres (8 feet) long from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail. “It [was] fabricated … using durable, weather‑resistant materials, ensuring it remains a long‑lasting visual centerpiece for residents and visitors”. The sculpture has been in place for over 13 years and remains a source of pride for the local community. 
More Info
Previous blog posts mentioned in this blog post include:
. Sculpture Parks: Crafted Art + Crafted Nature
. One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four
More information about the larger-than-life sculptures featured in this blog post can be found as follows:
. The Big Ceilidh Fiddle in Sydney, Nova Scotia ― see the Downtown Sydney Art Walk online article
. School Chair in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia ― see the project description on the Ilan Sandler website
. Renaissance in Sonoma, California ― see the announcement of its relocation to the College of Marin campus in California
. Trail Blossom in Athens, Georgia ― see the Athens-Clarke County Public Art website
. Kinoko Bunko (Mushroom Library) in Kyoto, Japan ― see the Kyoto Botanical Garden website
. Giant Potato in O’Leary, Prince Edward Island ― see the Canadian Potato Museum website
. World’s Largest Lobster in Shediac, New Brunswick ― see the Tourism New Brunswick website
. Oxley Giant Blueberry in Oxford, Nova Scotia ― see the Explore Cumberland County website
. Strawberry Man in Great Village, Nova Scotia ― see the Secret Nova Scotia online article
. Roberta’s Hummingbird in Middle Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia – see the Atlantex Creative Works online article.
The following books and articles were consulted in the writing of this blog post:
. Unmissable Quirky Roadside Attractions for Your Cross-Canada Journey article by Selena Kovachis on Kind Magazine website
. Roadside Attractions of New Brunswick article on Backyard History website
. 27 Ridiculously Huge Landmarks You Can Find In Canada article by Gabriel Nunes on Secret Calgary website
. Big Things of Canada website
. various Wikipedia entries.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Bigger-than-life sculptures of everyday objects are designed to delight, amuse and grab attention.
2. Super-sized sculptures can be exact replicas or stylized interpretations of ordinary items.
3. Consider checking out oversized sculptures, whether serious works of art or quirky roadside attractions, on your next road trip or vacation excursion.
