david adjaye + ron arad among canadian holocaust memorial shortlist

david adjaye + ron arad among canadian holocaust monument shortlist
site of the canadian national holocaust monument next to the war museum in ottawa highlighted in red (above)
image courtesy of the government of canada

six teams have been invited to develop concepts for the canadian national holocaust monument, with david adjaye, ron arad, daniel libeskind and ed burtynsky among the candidates. the call for qualifications that was first announced in may 2013, asked professional architects, artists and designers to submit their credentials, along with a portfolio of their prior work, as part of the first stage of a two-phase national design competition. the underlying criteria was that each of the groups needed to be led by a canadian citizen, with international participants considered eligible members.

over the course of the next months, the teams will develop their schemes and present their proposals to the national holocaust monument jury in the winter of 2014. before the official jury selection, a public exhibition of the final proposals will take place, allowing citizens to meet the individuals involved, offering an open forum in which to discuss their opinions on the schemes, which will be shared with the judges. the memorial is set to be positioned in the heart of the canadian capital, ottawa, at the corner of booth and wellington streets, near the canadian war museum. 

aerial view of the site positioned in the heart of ottawa
image courtesy of the government of canada

‘the future national holocaust monument will honour the canadian victims and survivors of the holocaust,’ said minister of canadian heritage and official languages, shelly glover. ‘canada is an extraordinary, welcoming country, and we are all responsible for ensuring that the holocaust continues to have a permanent place in our national consciousness and memory.’

‘canada remembers the suffering of the millions of innocent victims of the holocaust,’ said minister of foreign affairs john baird. ‘this monument will preserve their memory and also educate visitors of all faiths and traditions about the causes and risks of hate. I am proud that this memorial will stand at the heart of our country, right here in the nation’s capital.’

the six shortlisted teams include:

irene szylinger (art historian and curator)
david adjaye (architect)
ron arad (artist/architect)
– toronto, ontario

gail lord (museum planner)
daniel libeskind (architect)
edward burtynsky (artist)
claude cormier (landscape architect)
dr. doris berger (holocaust scholar)
– toronto, ontario

hossein amanat (architect and urban designer)
esther shalev-gerz (artist)
daniel roehr (landscape architect)
robert kleyn (architect, project manager)
david lieberman (architect)
– vancouver, british columbia

leslie m. klein (quadrangle architects)
jeffrey craft (swa group)
alan schwartz (terraplan)
yael bartana (artist)
susan philipsz (artist)
chen tamir (artist)
dr. debórah dwork and jeffrey koerber (holocaust scholars)
– toronto, ontario

gilles saucier (architect, saucier+perrotte)
marie-france brière (artist)
– montréal, quebec

krzysztof wodiczko (artist)
julian bonder (architect)
– cambridge, massachusetts