The Conversation

Ah, Bronze statues — A Calgary Classic. What you’ll immediately notice about this particular bronze statue is it is neither depicting horses, nor cowboys. I like The Conversation because it’s simple yet recognizable. It blends into the crowd and can be a source of its very own conversation.
You can’t help but wonder what their close talking story is all about. They sure look like businessmen, but are they talking business? I’ve always imagined them talking full garbled jibberish, or things like «I says to you, I says» or a «‘mornin’ Sam», «‘mornin’ Ralph» like the coyote and sheepdog in Looney Toons.
Thanks to vigilante artists that make me smile, I’ve often seen them with specially knitted mitts and scarves in the winter to keep them warm.

An iconic sculpture for downtown Calgary business. The men are nice and plump :) A nice impressionist sculpture of businessmen.

This is the single greatest piece of artwork ever conceived of by human minds. The hands that crafted this incredible work are not those of mortal men. Not since the likes of «David» or «The Thinker» has humanity been graced with the presence of a statue so compelling, so intriguing, so masterfully created that the only response when viewing is a gaping jaw and a slight tightening of the pants.
The Conversation begs so many questions. «What was the conversation about? What does this mean? Who are these men? Why are they having such close discourse? Are they angry? Is this a business deal? Where did they obtain such stylish hats?»
But as we ask these questions we find that we are not, in fact, investigating the statue, but ourselves. We have peered into the rabbit hole of our souls and there is no turning back.
These are the questions at the core of every human being, now exposed to the elements on a cold and unforgiving Calgary street. This statue reminds us of our ever-​present humanity and how we are all, in one way or another, living out a «Conversation» each and every day, our collective voices rising into a cacophony of visceral noise that grows louder and more jumbled.
As we join hands and stare one another in the face, we see each other as we are — our overweight, flapping jowls and our pinched noses and our ever-​present vacant stares. Our bronze tinted hearts have grown as cold as the metal this statue is comprised of. Are we really talking? Or are we merely posing for those walking by?
I… I…
— Sorry, you can’t tell but I had to pause in writing my review for nearly half an hour there because I was overcome with emotions. I wept, first for the human condition, then with boundless joy that someone had finally captured it in bronze and placed it in plain view for everyone to see. –
My final summation, my pathetic attempt to capture this pinnacle of human achievement in words: It’s a pretty cool statue of two fat dudes talking.

Yes this is a first for me, giving 5 stars to a statue. But hey, these guys are worth it. They’re a total classic. The first time I saw them, I thought this was an interesting set of statues. They’re wonderfully crafted (of what I’m not quite sure). They’re realistic looking. Life size. Charming. A couple of cool dudes. Whenever I pass by them, I can’t help but smile.
You can sit and wonder about what they might have been saying to each other: «Hey John, good to see you. How are the wife and kids?» or «Hello Bob. Did you see the price of PanCanadian stock this week? I told you it was a good buy.» or perhaps «Tom, are we still on for squash this Tuesday?» Maybe the last suggestion is a bit far fetched but that’s what’s great about art: it’s all up for interpretation.
Now where’s the statue of the guy playing chess? That one’s cool too!

Ever since I moved to Calgary, I wondered what these two guys really represented for Stephen Ave. I know there are lots of business men (and women) that cruise down this street everyday, so maybe this sculpture is here to remind them to do business in a face-​to-​face manner… I don’t know, it’s all up to interpretation.
Either way, I’ve had a number of photo-​ops on this spot, especially when I am showing around people from outside of Calgary — there’s lots of statues downtown ready for this kind of fun! So, I encourage you to stop by, have a look or a discussion about it, and then take some silly photos with your friends. and then explore the rest of downtown Calgary, there’s lots of fun to be found!

Conversation is located in front of the Bay on Stephen Avenue and 1 street southwest. You really can’t miss it as it is two bronze fat businessmen conversing on the sidewalk.
Unfortunately this piece doesn’t inspire me. I think the artist is talented and the process to make this statue is probably immense and impressive. I even like the fact that business between the two is being done face to face. Probably the best way to do business. However, I’m not sure it adds much to Stephen Ave. Plenty of businessmen already line the strip at different hours of the day. To add two more fat ones doesn’t necessarily add something to the mix.
I am no artist so it is quite possible I am not getting something here.
But that’s my opnion, what do you think?
⁵⁄₃₀

Downtown Calgary is full of sculptures. «The Conversation» was created in 1981 by William Hodd McElcheran. You’ll find a series of these bronze sculptures across three continents.
These guys in particular amuse me. Plump fellows with old-​school hats, I’d like to think they represent a lot of what happens on Stephen Ave, business people meeting each other. When was the last time you saw someone stopping to say hello to one another in the street? These guys remind me to pay a little more attention to who I’m passing by instead of being too lost in thought to notice.
They’re also fun for a photo opp! Daytime or nighttime, peek your head between theirs and smile! Don’t forget a hat of your own.