An upside-down church in the heart of East Village
📸 PHOTO SPOT
Location: 5th Street Square, 712 5th Street SE, East Village
Best for: Architecture • Urban photography • Couples • Creative portraits • Instagram
Time needed: 10-15 minutes
Cost: Free
Season: Year-round
📸 Photo potential: ★★★★★
Why it’s worth the stop:
Created by artist Dennis Oppenheim, Device to Root Out Evil first appeared in 1997. The version standing in East Village today dates to 2004. This 25-foot sculpture is one of Calgary’s more unusual public art pieces and has had quite a journey before arriving at its current Calgary home.
The sculpture has previously been exhibited in places including Venice, Vancouver, and more locally here in Ramsay (before leaving Calgary in 2014).
In 2019, the sculpture returned to Calgary and was installed in East Village, and is on a 5-year loan. The exact departure date has not been publicly specified.
The upside-down church is intentionally provocative. Now, before anyone gets their knickers in a knot, Oppenheimer, the artist, explained that flipping the structure was an architectural gesture meant to point the steeple down toward hell rather than up toward heaven, directing aggressive energy to ‘root out evil’.
💡 Calgary Uncovered Tip: Don’t just photograph the sculpture — photograph it in context.
The surrounding high-rises create a great contrast with the old-fashioned shape of the church. Try stepping farther back and letting the buildings rise behind it, or get close and shoot upward to exaggerate the sculpture’s unusual perspective.
📸 How to get the shot: Try a low angle. Get closer to the base and point your camera upward. The sculpture becomes more imposing and visually interesting; the framework will give you big impact against the blue sky.
Come back at different times of day for different light. Bright daylight gives you the strongest architectural detail, while lower sunlight can create more dramatic shadows and reflections in the red glass.
Good to know:
- Free admission
- Setting: Outdoor setting, and weather-dependent
- Busyness level: Moderate — Events and nice weather bring more people into the square.
- Parking info: Paid street parking and nearby ParkPlus parking lots/parkades
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