This artist known for working large is helping the PWHL celebrate its 2nd season in a big way

Briony Douglas makes big things. The Toronto-based artist has built a life-sized Formula 1 car, a three-metre-high cowboy boot, and an elephant made from more than 225 kilograms of rope. 

Her latest big project — both figuratively and literally — is a goalie mask, which she's made out of sticks used by players in the Professional Women's Hockey League. Called "The Inaugural Six" — referring to the league's six founding teams — it stands four feet by six feet (1.21 metres by 1.83 metres). The giant mask will be unveiled at Toronto's Eaton Centre to help the PWHL celebrate the puck dropping on the league's second season, which starts this week.

CBC Arts spoke to Douglas about why she makes art about sports, how the sticks made her feel closer to the players, and why she's stoked to have her art in a mall.

CBC: Why did you want to do this project?

Briony Douglas: As a woman, I believe empowering women in sports is super important. Any way that I can do that through art is also very important to me. I think art is an unbiased way to begin a conversation and spark people's conversations about things that are important in the world. I loved the league already, and I'm super excited to help highlight them in this unique way.

CBC: OK, but why this specific thing? Why a goalie mask made out of old hockey sticks?

BD: I love creating art out of items that people wouldn't usually create art out of. I think finding beauty in things that have been discarded or upcycled speaks to a lot of things in our lives. And I love a challenge. I have ADHD, so something different every day is exciting for me. Learning how to navigate fibreglass hockey sticks into a giant goalie mask was definitely not not a challenge. 

CBC: Fibreglass hockey