The Forest and the Trees

Location: Brookfield Place Calgary, 225 6 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB

About the work

The Forest and The Trees is a large-scale mural made of 1,225 cast aluminum tiles, each bronze-coated with a patina finish. The design is based on cross-stitch patterns once used by the artist’s mother, adding a deeply personal layer to the work. These traditional embroidery charts were digitally transformed through cropping, rotation, and repetition to create a complex abstract tapestry. The result evokes both natural and digital landscapes, suggesting circuit boards, prairie fields, forests, or lakes seen from above.

Though the design appears intricate and varied, it is composed of just 269 unique tile patterns, some used only once, others repeated throughout. Scattered numbers within the artwork are the original cross-stitch diagrams, referring to thread color patterns. Polished bronze lines on each tile reflect shifting light, drastically changing the piece throughout the day and in different weather conditions. Both precise and handmade, the work functions as a modern-day quilt, blending technology with family memory and craft.

Aluminum tiles and bronze

About the artist

Micah Lexier is a Canadian artist known for his conceptual and often text-based work that explores themes of identity, time, language, and systems of organization. Working across sculpture, print, and installation, Lexier frequently collaborates with writers and incorporates everyday materials into his art. His practice balances precision and playfulness, often using numbers, lists, and repetition to create meaning. His art invites viewers to reflect on the passage of time, the nature of authorship, and the structures we use to make sense of the world.