Jyhling Lee's "Mirror", Stainless Steel Mirror Art

Jyhling Lee's “Mirror”

Local artist Jyhling Lee was inspired by origami bowls to create a stainless - steel sculpture for a “iconic” street in downtown Toronto.

According to the team, the “Mirror” is a mirrored sculpture about 5 meters tall and 3 meters wide, standing at a street corner on Queen Street West in downtown Toronto. Queen Street West is an important thoroughfare running through the city and one of the “most iconic” streets.

This sculpture consists of a series of inclined planes covered with mirrored stainless steel. These planes form a semi - circle and meet the ground at several spiky points. Its shape is inspired by origami folds, a form that the artist has also referenced in her past works, such as her sculpture “Origami Goose”.

The artist said: “My initial origami research focused on bowl - like forms. This form can not only provide a space to experience inside and around it but also stand on its own. The originally closed bowl - shaped structure is opened — facing Queen Street West — creating an invitation for the public to enter the sculpture space and interact with its interior and exterior.”

The artist deliberately chose mirrored stainless steel to match humans' natural attraction to reflective surfaces. The delicate beauty, awe - inspiring precision shown by this material, and the natural allure of mirror reflection to humans all make this work more captivating.

This stainless - steel sculpture has “extremely high” durability, can effectively resist corrosion and rust, and is also easy to clean. The lights installed around the sculpture's base are set to turn on at sunset and turn off at sunrise. The artist created this sculpture to reflect the vibrant energy of this street.