Vancouver "land" artist Ingrid Koivukangas challenges us to be aware of our own environment in a pair of installation pieces called the North Saskatchewan River Project.

"It’s linking the materials from the gallery back to the location," she says.

One half of the project is set on the south side of the River Valley and can best be viewed from the High Level Bridge and Legislature grounds. The site work, which measures 50 feet in length and 12 inches high, is composed entirely of white stones. In early June, Koivukangas spent just over a week scouring the shoreline for rocks ranging in weight from one to 80 lbs.

Part two is in a gallery space at Commerce Place. At 50 feet, it parallels the riverside installation. Rather than stones, organic objects like birds wings, bones, crayfish and seeds, are suspended several inches above a mud pathway. The sound of the river fills the space and visitors are invited to explore the natural materials through a magnifying glass.

Koivukangas, who is working on her PhD in environmental art through the University of Calgary, has created a number of permanent and site-specific sculptures at locations around the world.

This summer, she will also complete river projects in Montreal and Saskatoon.

The idea, she says, is to open some eyes: "I hope that through my work people become more aware of the environment around it and the land around us."