Bicentennial Monument

 

Markham, Ontario

1994

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Competition design for a monument to commemorate the two hundred years of the foundation of the town of Markham, in the outskirts of Toronto.

Our entry proposes a free standing structure containing a waterfall, alluding to the shape of a house within a small “piazza-like” platform complete with a small seating arrangement.

 

The central element of the whole is water, which plays a very important role of animation and definition of the sculptural tree-dimensional space. Water springs from the top, at roof level, and, through a series of cascading basins wraps around the core of the structure to finally flow in the lower basin which surrounds the “house” structure.

 

Thus, moving water becomes the main sculptural element of the whole, defining the monument with vibrant, organic qualities. The element of motion, symbolizing life, permeates the significance of the structure, changing its quality of “sign object” with the more alluring quality of “event object” for all to enjoy.