Eye-catching primate sculpture unveiled outside new condo at former Brick Brewery

'Banana' statue unveiled in Waterloo From CTV Kitchener’s Stephanie Villella: Residents react to the new monkey-themed art installation on King Street.

KITCHENER — An eight-metre tall sculpture has been unveiled in Uptown Waterloo, towering over the sidewalk on King Street South.

St. Jacobs-based sculptor Timothy Schmalz, whose work has been featured in the Vatican and around the world, created the piece.

He says it took him a year to make the sculpture, which he calls "playful and fun."

The art piece, called "Banana," depicts a number of monkeys dropping down to get to a gorilla, which is holding the latest piece of technology: the "Banana" cell phone.

Schmalz says the sculpture is a nod to Waterloo Region being the tech hub of Canada, and shows how much people rely on their cell phones, especially during the pandemic.

"Laughter and fun can be a great instigator of positive change – especially if we all laugh together," Schmalz is quoted in a news release.

At night, the phone will light up as thought it was charging.

The work was commissioned by HIP Developments, which built the condo behind the piece.

"It seems that with each passing day the world is becoming a more serious place. And, technology is continually hitting us with a barrage of pronouncements, demands, memes and worries," President Scott Higgins said in a statement.

"Maybe it’s evolution and progress. Or, maybe it’s turning life into a barrel of monkeys."

The development, called Circa 1877, sold out in two days back in 2017. At the time, HIPP said that was faster than any other condo development in the region's history.

The building was expected to be ready for occupancy by late 2019.