Some Lifts Carry More Than Weight

There are some projects where the weight of what you are lifting goes far beyond the number on a scale.

Last week, we had the opportunity to be part of the installation of Precious In All Form, a breathtaking piece by Xwalacktun, also known as Rick Harry, at the new Polygon construction site located at 5900 Olive Avenue in Burnaby.

Standing 10 feet high, stretching 34 feet long, and weighing approximately 6,000 pounds, this one-of-a-kind piece required careful planning, precision, and a team of people who understood that this wasn’t just another load. This is a piece of art that could never be replaced.

The journey started in Calgary, where Peter from Silver Horse Trucking carefully transported the artwork to Metrotown on his 53-foot low-bed trailer. Once onsite, we worked alongside the talented teams at Carvel Creative and Great Northern Way Scene Shop to bring Rick Harry’s vision into place.

For this installation, we chose one of our specialty units, our unit 1180, a 92-ton Palfinger knuckle boom crane. Equipped with a three foot fixed deck, a 17-foot pin-on deck, an 8′ x 12′ 25-ton spreader bar, and a 7,000 lb winch line capable of being two-parted to lift up to 14,000 lbs, we were probably overprepared. When you are lifting an irreplaceable piece of art, we would much rather have every tool available.

It worked out beautifully because, while some art installations can take an entire day of unloading, repositioning, waiting, readjusting, and carefully manoeuvring into place, this one came together smoothly in just a few hours.

Was it the equipment? The planning? The teamwork? The expertise? Probably all four.

One detail that made a huge difference was the thoughtful design of the artwork itself. It included engineered lifting points, which always makes rigging safer, more efficient, and significantly faster. In fact, we didn’t even need our spreader bar and were able to complete the lift using our standard slings. A huge thank you to the artist and fabricators for designing the piece with installation in mind without compromising its beauty or artistic vision.

But perhaps the most unexpected part of this project happened before the artwork was even removed from Peter’s trailer.

When our Marketing & Community Relations team heard that the artist’s name was Rick Harry, they immediately thought of another incredible Sḵwx̱wú7mesh artist whose work Phoenix had the privilege of helping install a few years ago – James Harry’s piece on Electronic Avenue in Port Moody.

Same last name…hmmm, could there be a connection?

Always curious (and always connected with local artists), our team sent James a quick text:

“Hi James! We are installing a piece by Rick Harry this morning and were wondering if you two are related?”

His reply came back almost instantly:

“Yes… that’s my dad.”

How wonderful is that? It’s such a small world, and another reminder that art, community, and relationships are often much closer than we realize.

For us, this wasn’t just another lift. It was another opportunity to work alongside talented people, support public art, and help bring an artist’s vision safely into the community. Those are the projects we will always be proud to be part of.