Guardians of the Pump, 2024

• Constructed 2024
• Location New Westminster, BC
• Artist Hanna Benihoud
• Use Public Art

Guardians of the Pump (2024) by Hanna Benihoud took an otherwise unnoticed piece of urban infrastructure and transformed it into a playful community intervention. Enlisting narrative and design input from local children, Hanna created a series of modern-day, medieval-inspired gargoyles, each “guarding” the pump station and populating a brightly painted mural enveloping the landscape and its structures.

“Guardians of the Pump features sculptural elements referencing gargoyles and a colourful landscape mural. Gargoyles, originating in the medieval period, were designed as ornate waterspouts to divert rainwater away from the sides of buildings, merging practicality with Gothic architectural aesthetics. The Boundary Road Pump Station gargoyles, whimsically designed by children, engage in playful antics surrounding community. A vibrant painted quilt enveloping both the site and its structures transitions from fluid to orderly patterns, mirroring the pump station’s own rhythm of operation.

This project stands out for its unique involvement of local youth who were engaged in leading the design process for a public artwork. Through a series of workshops, Hanna Benihoud facilitated the collection of ideas from children, resulting in a narrative about order and chaos. With the help of architects, landscape architects and engineers, the youth-driven design was then integrated into the construction of this pump station.” – New Westminster