According to a project backgrounder, Coupland’s inspiration for the concept comes from a piece of fir tree driftwood he came across in the 1960s at the residence of his late friend, Gordon Smith. Tree Snag is one of a number of public art pieces commissioned by developer Grosvenor Americas for the recently built, mixed-use complex. Artistic rendering of Douglas Coupland’s Tree Snag sculpture at Grosvenor Ambleside in West Vancouver. (Grosvenor Americas) The public art concept was approved by the municipal government in 2014, with a “constellation effect” of installations surrounding Grosvenor Ambleside, “so people could discover public art from the beach, the surrounding bike and walking paths, or from the restaurant patio.”