To Serve and Protect | Part 1

My name is Eldon Garnet. I'm the artist of "To Serve and Protect" a three-part sculpture surrounding the Metropolitan Police headquarters in downtown Toronto. You are standing in the central square looking at the first part of this sculpture, if you can call it a first part. But it is the central element where all the figures are moving towards. In this location you will see a stepped up pyramid type of device on which there is nothing. The plinth is empty. You will see a bronze representation of a police woman. This is very much an allegorical figure. This is not really a police woman, this is a police man. This is all police. She is stepping on the pyramid type of device and she is building it. She has a trowel in her right hand and in her left hand she has a walkie-talkie. And she has a gun on her left side which is holstered, but it's a closed holster which is very symbolical. And allegorical. It's not a gun ready for action it's much more suppressed and to be used under consideration, not like the westerner with the gun at his side ready to be drawn. And she also has a baton on her right hip. And that again is another mode of enforcement but again on her hip. And the walkie-talkie on her hand obviously is about communication and talking, that's what it's about. And she's in the process of building. That's very important that this police woman is not just on guard, but she's constructing. Constructing what? Well, let's talk about that in a minute at the other site.

Want to hear more? Check out Part 2.

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