Programmable lighting illuminates Oakridge Park’s mushroom sculptures overnight

Five mushroom-like sculptures, each reaching up to 40 feet, have been completed as permanent public art in the rooftop park at Vancouver’s Oakridge Park shopping centre. Called “Bush Capsules,” the rounded canopy forms were created by B.C. artist Brian Jungen and inspired by old plastic chairs. They were installed in time for the mall’s opening, while the installation was fully completed several months after the mall and the first section of the rooftop park opened in late May 2026. The sculptures stand just beyond the outdoor patio for the Time Out Market food hall.

The latest addition was a programmable LED lighting system that illuminates the sculptures and surrounding landscaping from dusk to dawn. Jungen is known for reworking familiar objects, including furniture, clothing and sports equipment, into sculptures that explore Indigenous and popular cultures. He said it reassures him to know Vancouver remains on the edge of sublime wilderness and that mushrooms can grow through pavement. Chrystal Burns, QuadReal Property Group’s executive vice-president of Canadian retail experience, said art is essential to Oakridge Park’s vision as a place where people gather, discover something new and feel connected to their community. She said it was meaningful to have an artist of Jungen’s calibre bring work to the site, and that the company was proud to create a place where extraordinary art belongs to everyone.

“Bush Capsules” is one of four major public art installations at Oakridge Park; the other three have yet to be officially unveiled. Haegue Yang’s “Opalescent Cumulus Swirl,” beneath the central skylight, will feature 226 opalescent Venetian blinds. Daylight and internal lighting at night will create changing colours and shadows. Inside Time Out Market, Howie Tsui’s “Glyphs of the Epicure” will depict surreal portraits assembled from images of ingredients and cooking tools, exploring how migration and cultural exchange shape food traditions. At Transit Plaza, Diamond Point’s “First Ancestors” mosaic will honour the Musqueam First Nation. Its imagery includes ancestors wrapped in clouds and Salish design elements, referencing a site once rich in trees, streams and marshes. The mosaic is being installed on the exterior wall of the new entrance building for SkyTrain’s Oakridge–41st Avenue Station, which frames the plaza. The station upgrade and expansion, including a second entrance through an underground mall corridor, is expected to be completed in early 2027.

Oakridge Park’s flagship Safeway grocery store, covering more than 50,000 square feet, opened in August 2026. The next major tenant to open was a 70,000-square-foot Fairleigh Dickinson University campus, which opened last month ahead of the new school year. The campus will hold its official grand-opening celebration on Oct. 15.