A newly installed public art piece 'Moon Snail House' is now on display at Pipers Lagoon Park, created by two local artists. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

moon snail house

New public art in Nanaimo’s Pipers Lagoon Park inspired by local marine life

Aug 24, 2024 | 11:30 AM

NANAIMO — A new public art piece offers some great views in one of the city’s popular parks.

Moon Snail House, inspired by the shell of Lewis Moon Snail, was recently installed as a temporary public art piece on the bluff in Pipers Lagoon Park.

Created by local artists Amber Morrison and Matthew Fox, this artwork encourages visitors to step inside and gain a new perspective of one of the largest marine mollusks found locally.

“Moon snails aren’t something we often see, but they’re out there, they’re laying their eggs, they’re doing their thing,” Morrison told NanaimoNewsNOW. “So we thought it would be interesting to spotlight this creature and make it super visible through the giant shell form.”

The art project hopes to spread awareness about the habitat of these creatures, found along the Pacific coastline where they lay their eggs in the sand, sometimes mistaken for garbage by beachgoers.

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They’re hoping the art installation encourages conversations and reflections about housing needs, as visitors learn how the moon snail naturally grows its shell.

Local artists Amber Morrison and Matthew Fox inside the Moon Snail House. (City of Nanaimo)

“Its house is naturally a part of its life, it doesn’t have to struggle to find housing,” said Morrison. “I was thinking about greater parallels within our city and the struggle that a lot of people in our age bracket are having to find and maintain housing.”

A free public unveiling of the artwork will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24, with live music and a chance to meet the artists.

“We’ve designed this public artwork to be visually interesting and inviting, conceptually intriguing, site-specific, educational and playful. But more than anything, it is intended to be a gift to the community and a marker of our shared space,” said Morrison and Fox in a release.

Moon Snail House will be on display through 2027, part of the City of Nanaimo’s Temporary Art Program.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow