Global Affairs Commemorative Artwork

The Global Affairs Canada Commemorative Artwork will be a lasting tribute to employees of the Government of Canada working in Global Affairs Canada missions abroad. It will recognize the dedication and sacrifices of these individuals and their families in their service to Canada.

Canadian Heritage is facilitating the development of the commemorative artwork in partnership with Global Affairs Canada. The National Capital Commission will be responsible for design development and construction.

The site

The commemorative artwork will be located on the grounds of 111 Sussex Drive in Ottawa.

The design

The winning design was created by Team MacLeod. It is actually a solar device: the form and alignment of the sculpture is inspired by the analemma, the figure 8 shape created by tracing the sun’s annual movement relative to a fixed point in space and time. The analemma is used throughout the project to explore the notions of the infinite related to the persistence of love and memory.

A globe-shaped void at the center of the work expresses the absence of the missing loved ones. Within this inner chamber of remembrance, the names of those who died in service at Global Affairs Canada missions abroad are aligned to the noonday sun on their date of death. A ceremonial forecourt and pathway, as well as a garden of reflection surround the artwork.

Design competition and consultations

Teams of professional artists, landscape architects, architects, and other urban design professionals were invited to submit their credentials and examples of prior work on similar projects as part of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that closed on January 20, 2021.

Four teams were shortlisted by the design competition jury to develop design concepts for the commemorative artwork. The design concepts were evaluated by the same jury that reviewed the RFQ submissions. The jury included experts in the fields of art and design and representatives from Global Affairs Canada and affected families:

• Serge Belet, Senior Advisor Public Affairs and Strategic Initiatives at the National Gallery of Canada
• Abbie Dann, President of the Canadian Ambassadors Alumni Association (AMBCANADA)
• Michel Desloges, retired Canadian diplomat and representative of families of the fallen
• Dr. Susan Fitzgerald, Architect and Assistant Professor of Architecture at Dalhousie University
• Dr. Karen Wilson Baptist, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Manitoba

Families, stakeholders and all Canadians were invited to view the design concepts and share their thoughts in a survey that ran from December 2 to 16, 2021. You can view the survey results here.

The jury considered the feedback from the survey along with the comments from the National Capital Commission's Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty, the Global Affairs Canada Fine Arts Advisory Committee, and experts in conservation, landscape, engineering and costing. Based on the jury's recommendation, the Government of Canada announced that the design presented by Team MacLeod has been selected for the commemorative artwork.