National Holocaust Monument

Ottawa, Canada - 2014

For the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa, we will represent a world torn in half. What other symbol can so clearly evoke such unspeakable damage and loss, than a fragment that remains of a broken world? The loss is real and authentic. The Holocaust has left us in a partial state. The comprehension and acknowledgement of this state of partiality, is a proposal for transformation. This broken world is represented as a half-sphere formed in white marble. The cut of the sphere is not clean, rather it is jagged, uneven. Poised at an angle and standing 20 metres wide and 14 metres high, this bisected sphere will be a landmark recognizable from the distance, while on closer view offering an immersive experience of recognition and commemoration.

Team Leader: Hossein Amanat (architect/urban designer)

Esther Shalev-Gerz (artist)

Robert Kleyn (architect)

Daniel Roehr (landscape architect)

David Lieberman (architect)