Team Rapoport

Images of the design concept

Team members

Design intent

The Eddy is a commemorative artwork that honours fallen Canadian foreign service workers. Inspired by the Global Affairs Canada site alongside the Rideau River, the artwork takes the form of a river eddy, a place in a river where a stone or tree stands against the current causing the flow to curl back on itself and pause. A tall standing stone conducts the space around itself forming the land into sweeping berms and pathways, but leaving in its wake a placid centre in which the names of the fallen are presented with formal dignity upon a river-inspired sculpture that speaks to time and resistance.

Whether as an individual or as a member of a larger ceremony, The Eddy takes us out of the current and gives us the moment we need to slow down, reflect and remember diplomats, consular professionals and Embassy staff we have lost.

Transcript of the Global Affairs Canada Commemorative Artwork Team Rapoport video

Length of video: 1:30 minutes

The visual elements are video, renderings, and animation.

Text on screen: [Team RAPOPORT, PLANT Architect Inc.

with

  • Adrian Gollner
  • Michael Belmore
  • Pierre Poussin and
  • Fredericka Gregory
  • Mark Thompson Brandt
  • The Eddy]

[Sound of running water]

[Rendering of the commemorative artwork, a tall stone sculpture; close-up detail of the sculpture in the background]

Voice of Jeff Ho: “There are moments in a river in which a stone or tree [...]”

[Video of a stone set in running water]

Voice of Jeff Ho: “[...] stands against the current causing the flow to curl back on itself and pause.”

[Renderings of the commemorative artwork design from different perspectives]

Voice of Jeff Ho: “We see these eddies as a metaphor for both the foreign services workers who put themselves directly in harm’s way, and the moment of calm we require to reflect on their sacrifice.”

[Aerial view of Green Island in the Rideau River, showing the Ottawa River and surrounding neighbourhoods]

[Animated rendering of the site, showing an overhead view of the commemorative artwork and the Diefenbaker Building; component parts identified]

Voice of Jeff Ho: “The work of Global Affairs Canada’s staff has been felt around the world, and like the interconnectedness of all the worlds’ waters, diplomats and consular staff who lost their lives overseas can return home [...]”

Text on screen: [The Eddy

  • dedication
  • ceremonial oval
  • standing stone + names]

[Animated 360° rendering of the tall, engraved sculpture]

Voice of Jeff Ho: “[...] to The Eddy, a commemorative artwork alongside the Rideau River.”

[Sound of running water]

[Rendering of the sculpture with the Diefenbaker Building in the background, visitors shown on the site through different seasons]

[Animated rendering shows the sculpture from top to bottom, the inscribed names are shown in rotation]

[Rendering of the commemorative artwork details]

Voice of Jeff Ho: “A tall standing stone conducts the space around itself forming the land into sweeping berms and pathways, but leaving in its wake a placid centre in which the names of the fallen are presented with formal dignity upon a river-inspired sculpture that speaks to time and resistance.”

[Sound of running water]

[Rendering of the design facing west, with the top of the Pearson Building visible above the green tree line]

[Rendering of an aerial view of the site looking east, showing the Diefenbaker Building]

Voice of Jeff Ho:The Eddy is a defining form within the landscape, and is clearly visible from the Diefenbaker and Pearson Buildings.”

[Rendering of aerial view of design; visitors to site and paths of travel are indicated in blue; component parts identified]

Text on screen: [

  • everyday
  • ceremonial
  • paths
  • dedication
  • berm
  • names
  • standing stone
  • berm]

Voice of Jeff Ho: “Tracing upward from the water to the land and sky, it draws anyone in the vicinity into its slowly spiralling orbit of connecting paths and seating.”

[Rendering of the commemoration, showing visitors seated in front of the artwork, in arranged chairs]

[Animated rendering pans to the top of the sculpture, showing the starry sky in the background]

Voice of Jeff Ho: “Whether as an individual or as a member of a larger ceremony, The Eddy takes us out of the current and gives us the moment we need to slow down, reflect and remember those that we have lost.”

Text on screen: [

  • video production: Process
  • narration: Jeff Ho
  • design team: PLANT Architect Inc.
  • artists: Adrian Gollner, Michael Belmore, Pierre Poussin
  • team advisors: Fredericka Gregory, Mark Thompson Brandt
  • consultant team: John G. Cooke, KWA Site Development Consulting, MBII Lighting, A.W. Hooker]

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