Five teams short-listed to design LGBTQ2+ monument in Ottawa
Angelica Zagorski, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Feb 26, 2021 • 34 minutes ago • 2 minute read
Five teams have been short-listed in the competition to design the LGBTQ2+ National Monument on land between the Portage Bridge and Library and Archives Canada.
The finalists were announced this week by the federal government, the LGBT Purge Fund and the National Capital Commission. The project is meant to commemorate those who faced discrimination during the purge.
The LGBT Purge was the period between the 1950s and mid-1990s when LGBT members of institutions such as the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP and the federal public service faced systemic harassment and discrimination due to their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The harassment sometimes included being following, interrogated or abused. Thousands of lives were shattered.
The teams short-listed to submit design proposals for the landmark are:
• Team Durling, with partners in Dartmouth, N.S., Rotterdam and Six Nations of the Grand River, Ont.;
• Team MASS, with partners in Boston and Toronto;
• Team OnCommon Ground, whose members are from Ottawa, Berkeley, Calif., and Montreal;
• Team SOM, with members from New York, Winnipeg and Lac Seul First Nation, Ont.;
• Team Wreford, whose partners are all Winnipeg-based.
Artist Lorri Millan of Team Wreford said, “We were drawn together through creating this monument that is meaningful to us, but also the LGBTQ2+ survivors of the Purge. It’s a memorial to the systemic discrimination that the community has suffered throughout history.”
Millan is working with fellow visual artist Shawna Dempsey. “Shawna and I have been making art and addressing issues of equality and social justice for a long time now. This for us is a really good fit,” said Millan. “We personally have been affected by decades of discrimination from our government, and we know people who were directly impacted by the Purge.
“We are in an era where there is an ongoing discussion about discrimination in our society. We’re really excited to be a part of this.”
Rami Abou-Khalil, architect on Team SOM, said, “We’re a team that brings so many perspectives to the table and that’s the kind of team that a project like this needs. We showcase a diversity of skills.
“This memorial is so special this year because we are in the middle of a global conversation of equity about representation, about justice, and I think this memorial articulates questions of fairness, and intersectionality so well,” Abou-Khalil said.
The teams have until August 2021 to complete their designs. The competition jury includes experts in visual arts, landscape architecture, architecture and urban design, as well as LGBT Purge survivors, representatives from other key groups, and other experts.
Public feedback will then be invited. The monument is scheduled to be completed by 2025.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/five-...ment-in-ottawa
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