water’s edge

Artists: Jacqueline Metz and Nancy Chew
Location: Amica White Rock (15331 16 Avenue)
Category: Civic collection
Year Installed: 2019

About water’s edge

Larger than life and full of playful energy, this bronze sculpture greets you at the entrance to Amica White Rock, a seniors’ residence in South Surrey. Artists Jacqueline Metz and Nancy Chew wanted to depict a common family pet associated with happy memories of this seaside neighbourhood. They write, “We were thinking about the beach, waves lapping, the cry of seagulls, the voices of young children at play…often with the familiar, endearing companionship of a dog.”  

water’s edge evokes memories of childhood, of home and family life, and of playful or meditative walks along the beach. The figure also has broader associations: dogs have been with us for thousands of years, companion and guardian, a connection to the natural world, to the other, to the symbolic and the mythological. The dog has a long history across cultures as a symbol of loyalty, courage, protection, and love.

The artwork is called water’s edge because it’s not just about a dog but a state of mind.

About the Artists

Nancy Chew and Jacqueline Metz are visual artists and have worked collaboratively since 1997. They are also known as Muse Atelier and their work is centred on the public realm. Their practice explores ideas of nature and culture and how we position ourselves within the world. Much of the work reflects on perception, on re-contextualizing the familiar or iconic, on how we mythologize the world around us. Acclaimed for their simplicity and elegance, artworks by Nancy Chew and Jacqueline Metz can be found in cities across North America.

Their other public artworks in Surrey include Still Point/From the Centre Outwards, The Meeting of Mind and Body, and Tree of Knowledge.