Man Gets Trapped Inside Public Art in Canada After Easter Mischief

Public art can be engrossing. But for a man who tried to climb the Talus Dome sculpture in Edmonton, a city in Alberta, Canada, it became entrapping—and expensive.

According to the CBC, a man was arrested on the evening of Easter Sunday after firefighters had to rescue him from inside the Talus Dome, a monumental roadside sculpture comprised of nearly 1,000 handmade stainless steel spheres.

Authorities say the 26-year-old man was climbing the bulbous form when he somehow fell through an opening near the top and became trapped inside. Three crews “including a technical rescue team” were on sight to extricate the man, who was later charged with one count of mischief and released.

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services district chief Troy Brady told CTV News Edmonton that it took an hour and a half to get the man out of his shiny, globular prison. Brady added that both a saw and the hydraulic rescue tool known as the “jaws of life” were needed cut through the steel structure. 

“It’s definitely a first for me,” Brady told CTV. “It’s definitely different than what we would typically use it [the jaws of life] for.”  

Authorities say the man damaged several of the spheres before he fell into the sloping sculpture, and one ball was removed during the rescue.

According to the City of Edmonton’s public art website, “The sculpture is located at a major junction of the city’s river valley trail system, and is accessible to a wide range of people – walkers, runners, bikers, skiers, inline skaters. While visible from the road, the best way to experience Talus Dome is from the adjacent trail.” The Dome was created by Ball Nogues Studio in 2012.