Trans Am Totem, Public sculpture at Quebec Street and Milross Avenue, Vancouver, Canada.
The Trans Am Totem is a sculpture made from five stacked cars mounted on a cedar tree trunk near False Creek. The installation rises about 10 meters tall and uses solar power to light up the headlights and taillights of the vehicles after dark.
The piece was created in 2015 by artist Marcus Bowcott for the Vancouver Biennale. The idea came from his observations of cars being used as barriers along riverbanks.
The title refers to the topmost car, a Pontiac Trans Am, and to the totem-like stacking of five vehicles on a cedar stump. Bowcott called the work a "sculptural response" to the urban site, as much a celebration of mobility and technology as a critique of throwaway consumer culture. The cars were donated by a local scrapyard and repainted by the artist.
The sculpture no longer stands at Quebec Street and Milross Avenue: it was dismantled on August 15, 2021, and as of 2025 the City of Vancouver is still seeking a new site. A proposed move to the south end of the Granville Street Bridge was dropped after residents objected. Check current information before travelling to see it.
The wooden base came from the stump of an old-growth cedar on southern Vancouver Island, split lengthwise into halves so it could wrap the central steel column. The five cars were donated by a local scrapyard and repainted by Bowcott himself.
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