Super Nova Sculpture

Amidst the bustling Shops at Don Mills, rises the Super Nova Sculpture. It’s a striking 35-foot clock tower, a brainchild of Douglas Coupland. The Super Nova Sculpture isn’t just a timepiece. It’s a narrative sculpted in metal, a whimsical explosion of mid-20th-century houses. These houses seem to burst forth from the tower’s core, reaching for the sky. Coupland designed the Super Nova Sculpture in 2009. He envisioned it as a tribute to Canada’s first master-planned community, Don Mills. He aimed to capture the spirit of the area’s explosive growth in the 1950s. The houses adorning the Super Nova Sculpture are not actual Don Mills house plans. They are, in fact, models from Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) catalogs. This has caused some controversy. Some argue that it misrepresents the unique architectural heritage of Don Mills. Coupland himself stated that he intended to “rectify the invisibility” of CMHC houses in Don Mills with the Super Nova Sculpture. He saw it as a “poetic haiku” to a moment in Canadian history. Ironically, this artistic choice has sparked a dialogue about the very homes he sought to highlight. The Super Nova Sculpture stands as more than just art. It’s a conversation starter. It’s a testament to the power of art to ignite discussion and re-examine history.