Article content

John Chandler first glimpsed the tall circle in September 2013, on his way to visit his daughter.

“What the heck was that?” he wondered, as his van whizzed by the strange structure towering over traffic on 96th Avenue N.E.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'Every time I see it, I still get mad.' — Calgary's big blue ring turns three years old Back to video

The former professional photographer returned later that month, with his camera this time, to take a closer look.

He stared at the giant blue ring.

Chandler, who taught at Alberta College of Art and Design for 14 years, snapped photos of what looked to him like a huge hula-hoop with a streetlight stuck on its top, located on the side of a new bridge.

He had several questions about what he saw and, when he returned home, he sent a photo and note to the Herald.

He wondered where the hula-hoop came from, and how much it cost. Was it part of Calgary’s public art policy that sets aside one per cent of new construction projects’ budgets to spend on accompanying pieces of art? If so, with a municipal election looming, might this bizarre, blue ring become an election issue?