Inspiration From Our Coast

Mike Randall

In recent years, I’ve been commissioned to create two large-scale Kelp installations—kinetic sculptures designed to move and sway with the passing breeze, capturing the gentle rhythm of underwater forests.

The first, crafted from a combination of steam-bent western maple and ash, is suspended in the lobby of Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa. Commissioned by Bidgood Interior Design Studio, this piece is publicly accessible during the resort’s opening hours. The second, a private commission for a home in Comox, was hand-carved from steam-bent yellow cedar. This installation features a luminous ribbon of light weaving through the organic forms like the tendrils of a sea jelly, enhancing its ethereal quality.

Both sculptures were inspired by my time spent working on the waters of the Salish Sea and exploring its tide pools with my family, translating the fluidity and grace of the sea into tangible, dynamic forms.