My favourite piece of public art in Ottawa is "Balancing" by John Hooper

_ “Balancing” _ is a larger-than-life wooden sculpture by John Hooper . It’s tucked in behind the old train station. It features four oversized figures in various poses on a wooden beam, and this bespecaled man (a bureaucrat, I think) looking at the other characters in disdain. _ “There must be a policy against that kind of activity,” _ he thinks to himself.

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](http://ottawastart.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_20140803_145537.jpg)

The sculpture was first installed outside of the National Arts Centre in 1981, and was restored and moved to its present location on Colonel By Drive in 2011. There’s a very good slide deck about the restoration of the sculpture here. There’s also a good photo of the entire sculpture here.

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** ** See also: ** Ottawa Art Guide

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