Saskatoon Saskatchewan - The Canadian Pacific Railway's (CP) impact on Saskatoon's Sutherland neighbourhood is commemorated in a new sculpture at Central Avenue and 112th Street.
 
Spheres of Confluence, created by British Columbia blacksmith and artist Paul Reimer, is made with tracks from the CP yard that were manufactured in 1912.
 
"The entire sculpture is made from a piece of Sutherland history," Reimer said.
 
The base is a circle that shows the 1912 stamp.
 
Affixed atop it at different angles are three rings.
 
The largest ring is made from the flange of the track, the middle-sized ring is made from the web, and the small ring is made from the actual track that trains once ran upon.
 
All the elements are connected to a tall spire made from a forged, tapered, pipe.
 
"Most people don't know how incredibly hard that is in blacksmithing terms, it's very difficult," he said.
 
It took four people using tongs to hold the heavy, red-hot, metal in the blacksmithing shop, and skill to bend the track into a ring.
 
The flange ring posed a special problem because steel "doesn't like to bend on the flat," Reimer said.
 
"It was an exciting, dynamic, forging experience."
 
The sculpture represents community.
 
Its foundation honours indigenous people, followed by settlers, and the railroad.
 
The interconnected rings represent individuals, families, and the larger community.
 
The spire represents the community spirit that "is pointing this community onward and upwards to greater things," he said.
 
Reimer urges people who see the sculpture to reflect on how they might make a positive change in the community.
 
The public art was unveiled during Saskatchewan Culture Days and featured Young Thunder drummers from Thunderchild First Nation.
 
Betty Ann Adam.