Eat & Seek: New art installation supports local eateries

Jun 3 2021, 10:04 pm

Southcentre Mall’s latest initiative, Eat & Seek, aims to give people a place to enjoy their meals outside while celebrating local artists.

Eat & Seek is a colourful new outdoor space that opened on Wednesday at the southeast-Calgary shopping centre. With Alberta’s patio dining open once again and public health restrictions easing to allow retail spaces to increase their capacity, Southcentre Mall has created a safe, unique experience that lets guests stretch their imaginations and support local vendors.

Eat & Seek

Courtesy of Southcentre Mall/Brendan Klem

The initiative was curated in partnership with Calgary-based creative agency PARK, and features work from Alberta artists Nicole Wolf and Chris Provins. In a collab with Alberta University of the Arts, six students were also invited to showcase their designs.

The art installation boasts both vibrant art and wordplay, inspiring shoppers and diners to hunt for hidden messages in a larger-than-life word search, try out an unconventional game of hopscotch, and explore puddles of magnetic colour inside a massive grid.

Artwork begins outdoors and extends into the mall, guiding visitors from the main entrance towards the food court.

Eat & Seek

Courtesy of Southcentre Mall/Brendan Klem

Eat & Seek acts as a self-serve patio space, meant to encourage Calgarians to support the local businesses at the mall by safely enjoying a takeaway meal from one of the foodcourt vendors or restaurants.

Courtesy of Southcentre Mall/Brendan Klem

Southcentre hopes this alleviates the challenges food service businesses continue to face amidst the pandemic, particularly for mall eateries that may not have patios.

“Not only will Eat & Seek facilitate exposure for some of the fantastic artistic talent in our community, but it is also a great way for us to support takeaway services for the food and beverage businesses that call Southcentre home,ā€ said Alexandra Velosa, Marketing Manager, Southcentre Mall, in a media release.

ā€œIt is our hope that this will act as a colourful backdrop for Calgarians as they safely enjoy the outdoors and come together this summer to both experience engaging local art and support local businesses.ā€

Courtesy of Southcentre Mall/Brendan Klem

Eat & Seek is located near the mall’s north entrance, close to Starbucks, and includes two self-seating patio areas with room for 60 guests. The space is open during regular mall hours, and will run until fall 2021.

Visitors are asked to follow the most recent public health measures when using the space, and dedicated housekeeping staff will be in the area to keep everything clean and sanitized.

Eat & Seek

Courtesy of Southcentre Mall/Brendan Klem

Southcentre Mall: Eat & Seek

When: June 1 through fall 2021
Time: Mall hours (currently 11 am to 7 pm Monday through Saturday, and 11 am to 6 pm on Sundays)
Where: Southcentre Mall (100 Anderson Road SE)
Cost: Free (guests don’t need to purchase food to enjoy the patio)

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