Vancouver’s iconic 2010 Olympic clock located on the Georgia St. side of the Vancouver Art Gallery has now been dismantled. It has been a landmark since its unveiling on February 12, 2007, counting the hours, minutes and seconds till the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games. It was a favourite attraction for thousands of photo takers as well a rallying point for anti-Olympic demonstrators. The clock was constructed of glass and stainless steel and an adjoining cedar marker pole with designs inspired by First Nations artwork. It stood more than 6 metres high and 3 metres wide with Omega electronic displays on either side.

Organisers have taken “Waste Not” to heart and the clock will definitely have a future. The Olympic side of the clock and half of the wooden marker pole with the Olympic logos will be relocated inside the newly renovated BC Place displaying the date and time of day. The Paralympic side of the clock and the half of the marker pole bearing the Paralympic emblems will be relocated at the Day Lodge in Whistler Olympic Park and be used to countdown future sporting events.

It’s ironic that the Vancouver Art Gallery banner overlooking the dismantling of the clock displays the title “Waste Not.” This is the name of contemporary Chinese artist Song Dong’s installation. It is collaboration with his mother comprising the frame of his mother’s house with household objects she saved over a life time. Waste Not, in the Chinese language, describes the philosophy of life of Song Dong’s mother’s generation who experienced the Cultural Revolution. Faced with poverty and constant shortages of basic goods, nothing was ever wasted. The installation is a memorial to his mother’s life. It can be viewed till January 16, 2011.