Sculpture
- Eye-catching Sea Glass Festival
- Gardiner Exhibits Gertraud Möhwald
- Rai-Bachchan Wedding Sculptures
- Bitter-tasting Chocolate Jesus
- Dublin’s Salacious Statues
- Hello International Polar Year!
- LEGO Fans Convene - BrickFest 2007
- May The Force (& Luck) Be With You
- Winterlude 2007 ice & snow winners
- World War I Memorial Ice Sculpture
Eye-catching Sea Glass Festival
Posted by
Jennifer Yap
Sea Glass collectors browse Santa Cruz, California on October 6 and 7, 2007 for pretty, shiny finds and vie for top honours in "Shard of the Year" contest.
Santa Cruz, California is set to host the annual North American Sea Glass Festival yet again on October 6 and 7, 2007.
From 11:00 to 17:00, sea glass aficionados can converge on the boardwalk in Coconut Grove to hunt for treasures among the numerous exhibitors, socialize, and enter the “Shard of the Year” contest where they can win bragging rights and a grand prize of $1,000 as well as smaller prizes.
Grading is determined by qualities such as the colour of the shard and its condition. Bonus points can be earned for entries that can demonstrate advanced age, that possess identifiable text or patterns, or depict discernible figural characteristics.
Admission to the festival is $5 for adults and free for children under 12 years-old.
For information, contest entry rules and judging criteria, visit the North American Sea Glass Association.
From 11:00 to 17:00, sea glass aficionados can converge on the boardwalk in Coconut Grove to hunt for treasures among the numerous exhibitors, socialize, and enter the “Shard of the Year” contest where they can win bragging rights and a grand prize of $1,000 as well as smaller prizes.
Grading is determined by qualities such as the colour of the shard and its condition. Bonus points can be earned for entries that can demonstrate advanced age, that possess identifiable text or patterns, or depict discernible figural characteristics.
Admission to the festival is $5 for adults and free for children under 12 years-old.
For information, contest entry rules and judging criteria, visit the North American Sea Glass Association.
Gardiner Exhibits Gertraud Möhwald
Posted by
Jennifer Yap
Work by the late celebrated German sculptor Gertraud Möhwald remains unknown in Canada. An exhibit of 22 pieces at Toronto's Gardiner Museum hopes to address this.
Toronto’s Gardiner Museum will host Canada’s first exhibit of clay portraits and heads by one of the 20th century's most significant ceramic artists: Germany's Gertraud Möhwald (1929 – 2002).
A total of 22 pieces will be on display from October 12, 2007 to January 20, 2008.
Known for fragmentary, layered work influenced by her survival of the firebombing of Dresden during World War II, the crumbling baroque architecture surrounding her home in the former GDR, the work of Gaudi, Giacometti and Goya as well as travels to Samarkand, Rome and Barcelona, Möhwald’s figures are built up of collages of clay, fired ceramics, porcelain shards, and sometimes, coloured paper, gold and found objects.
The opening will be attended by the Möhwald family as well as German collectors who are lending pieces from their private collections.
On October 14, an exhibition symposium will be held featuring German experts Gabi Dewald, Editor-in-chief of KeramikMagazin and Möhwald’s university colleague and friend, Dr. Renate Luckner-Bien. Curator Susan Jefferies will moderate.
For information and tickets, visit the Gardiner Museum.
A total of 22 pieces will be on display from October 12, 2007 to January 20, 2008.
Known for fragmentary, layered work influenced by her survival of the firebombing of Dresden during World War II, the crumbling baroque architecture surrounding her home in the former GDR, the work of Gaudi, Giacometti and Goya as well as travels to Samarkand, Rome and Barcelona, Möhwald’s figures are built up of collages of clay, fired ceramics, porcelain shards, and sometimes, coloured paper, gold and found objects.
The opening will be attended by the Möhwald family as well as German collectors who are lending pieces from their private collections.
On October 14, an exhibition symposium will be held featuring German experts Gabi Dewald, Editor-in-chief of KeramikMagazin and Möhwald’s university colleague and friend, Dr. Renate Luckner-Bien. Curator Susan Jefferies will moderate.
For information and tickets, visit the Gardiner Museum.
Rai-Bachchan Wedding Sculptures
Posted by
Jennifer Yap
The Bollywood wedding of the year has stirred celebrity obsession among Indians to an all-time high and inspired unusual wedding presents – in the form of sculptures.
The wedding of Bollywood royalty Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan on April 20 has inspired two Indian sculptors to create new works - in fiberglass and sand respectively.
Inspired by a lady who came into his dreams for 25 days and asked him to make 25 sculptures of Rai, Arjun Prajapathi started work two months ago and plans to finish by June. With help from his three sons, he models the sculptures with Haryana and Delhi clay. Plaster moulds will then be made, from which the final fiberglass sculptures will be cast.
Prajapathi plans to hold an exhibition of his finished works in Mumbai - which he hopes that Rai and Bachchan will inaugurate. He also plans to present one of the sculptures to Rai.
On the other end of the permanance and durability spectrum, acclaimed Indian sand sculptor Sudarshan Patnaik has completed a 15-foot film reel made of sand featuring imagined scenes from the Rai-Bachchan wedding ceremony. Incorporating giant faces of Rai and Bachchan and a shehnai (Indian oboe) musician accompanied by a child beating dholak (hand drums), the Puri beach sculpture provides a focal point for starstruck Indians hundreds of miles away from the celebrations who are hungry for details of the couple and their wedding.
Patnaik plans to send photos of his ephemeral sculpture to Bachchan’s father, film superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Inspired by a lady who came into his dreams for 25 days and asked him to make 25 sculptures of Rai, Arjun Prajapathi started work two months ago and plans to finish by June. With help from his three sons, he models the sculptures with Haryana and Delhi clay. Plaster moulds will then be made, from which the final fiberglass sculptures will be cast.
Prajapathi plans to hold an exhibition of his finished works in Mumbai - which he hopes that Rai and Bachchan will inaugurate. He also plans to present one of the sculptures to Rai.
On the other end of the permanance and durability spectrum, acclaimed Indian sand sculptor Sudarshan Patnaik has completed a 15-foot film reel made of sand featuring imagined scenes from the Rai-Bachchan wedding ceremony. Incorporating giant faces of Rai and Bachchan and a shehnai (Indian oboe) musician accompanied by a child beating dholak (hand drums), the Puri beach sculpture provides a focal point for starstruck Indians hundreds of miles away from the celebrations who are hungry for details of the couple and their wedding.
Patnaik plans to send photos of his ephemeral sculpture to Bachchan’s father, film superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Bitter-tasting Chocolate Jesus
Posted by
Jennifer Yap
In pop culture, chocolate and Easter go together like bees and honey, but Cosimo Cavallaro’s sculpture of a naked Jesus has stirred up some strong pre-Easter passions
The story broke on April 1 and I was wary because… well, it was April Fool’s Day for one, and people getting all worked up about a chocolate Jesus did seem a little far-fetched. Suspecting an elaborate media hoax, I hung back and dropped the ball on this.
My apologies.
Montreal-born, US-based Cosimo Cavallaro, known for highly visceral work and quirky use of food items (such as spraying an entire house inside and out with mozzarella cheese and piling sliced ham into a bed), has stirred up a storm of protest with a life-size milk chocolate sculpture of Jesus.
In a twist worthy of South Park, the naked crucified Christ sans cross is being hidden in a refrigerated truck in an undisclosed location. This, after a torrent of complaints and death threats were issued by Christian groups citing nudity and disrespect for Christianity.
Titled My Sweet Lord, the chocolate Jesus was slated for display from today, Tuesday, through Easter Sunday in the Lab Gallery located in Manhattan's Roger Smith Hotel. The hotel has decided to cancel and the gallery’s creative director, Matt Semler, has resigned – I presume, in protest. Meanwhile, Cavallaro claims to have received numerous offers to either exhibit or buy the piece.
If Cavallaro wants notoriety, he’s got it, but I think he was after something a little more thoughtful.
Here are my two cents, for whatever they’re worth. I hope this does not bring a chocolate fondue upon my head. Here goes…
Loincloths are themselves an act of artistic license, not biblical fact. I daresay no Roman foot soldier in the midst of crucifying his charge is going to pause to make sure that there’s a loincloth in place. If I remember correctly, soldiers were casting lots for Jesus’ clothes, so chances are pretty good that he was naked. Executions are messy affairs and if it’s alright to show the marks of violence, blood and gore on the body of Christ, why not nudity? Also, if crucifixion is about humiliating the prisoner, wouldn’t being stripped naked add to this and therefore reinforce the poignancy of Jesus’ human side and his grace in tolerating this abuse?
Next, chocolate is a relatively recent addition to Easter. Traditionally, real eggs were decorated and exchanged – and this practice still persists in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Europeans made hollow cardboard Easter eggs to hold gifts and treats. Faberge eggs evolved for the highbrow and chocolate eggs for the relatively well-to-do as European tastes accepted chocolate as a sweet. Besides being a child of commercial opportunism by German and French confectioners, there is no historical or religious place for chocolate in Easter, nor for bunnies and chicks. Easter is a celebration of resurrection and re-birth before the divine – the crux of Christianity. As such, I think Cavallaro’s piece speaks to the commercial sugar-coating of Easter as it is commonly celebrated now; what have we done to Easter, and by extension, what have we done to Christ?
It’s too bad that the reigning debate at this point in time is about religious sensitivity, propriety and censorship when it should be about love for humanity, redemption, divine grace, and the old tension between God and Mammon.
We are in Holy Week after all.
Postscript:
After (literally) sleeping on it overnight with a head full of flu-induced weird dreams, I think that if Cavallaro had *really* wanted to get people's goat, he could have wrapped My Sweet Lord in thin silver foil, inserted a ticker-tape style slip of wax paper that read "Christ" and re-named the piece Kiss Christ, thereby spoofing both the popular chocolate and referencing American photographer Andres Serrano's controversial 1989 photo. Then things would really hop.
For a more gentle, compassionate view, read Mary Rayme's article Chocolate Obama Jesus on controversial Jesus sculptures at Easter time.
My apologies.
Montreal-born, US-based Cosimo Cavallaro, known for highly visceral work and quirky use of food items (such as spraying an entire house inside and out with mozzarella cheese and piling sliced ham into a bed), has stirred up a storm of protest with a life-size milk chocolate sculpture of Jesus.
In a twist worthy of South Park, the naked crucified Christ sans cross is being hidden in a refrigerated truck in an undisclosed location. This, after a torrent of complaints and death threats were issued by Christian groups citing nudity and disrespect for Christianity.
Titled My Sweet Lord, the chocolate Jesus was slated for display from today, Tuesday, through Easter Sunday in the Lab Gallery located in Manhattan's Roger Smith Hotel. The hotel has decided to cancel and the gallery’s creative director, Matt Semler, has resigned – I presume, in protest. Meanwhile, Cavallaro claims to have received numerous offers to either exhibit or buy the piece.
If Cavallaro wants notoriety, he’s got it, but I think he was after something a little more thoughtful.
Here are my two cents, for whatever they’re worth. I hope this does not bring a chocolate fondue upon my head. Here goes…
Loincloths are themselves an act of artistic license, not biblical fact. I daresay no Roman foot soldier in the midst of crucifying his charge is going to pause to make sure that there’s a loincloth in place. If I remember correctly, soldiers were casting lots for Jesus’ clothes, so chances are pretty good that he was naked. Executions are messy affairs and if it’s alright to show the marks of violence, blood and gore on the body of Christ, why not nudity? Also, if crucifixion is about humiliating the prisoner, wouldn’t being stripped naked add to this and therefore reinforce the poignancy of Jesus’ human side and his grace in tolerating this abuse?
Next, chocolate is a relatively recent addition to Easter. Traditionally, real eggs were decorated and exchanged – and this practice still persists in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Europeans made hollow cardboard Easter eggs to hold gifts and treats. Faberge eggs evolved for the highbrow and chocolate eggs for the relatively well-to-do as European tastes accepted chocolate as a sweet. Besides being a child of commercial opportunism by German and French confectioners, there is no historical or religious place for chocolate in Easter, nor for bunnies and chicks. Easter is a celebration of resurrection and re-birth before the divine – the crux of Christianity. As such, I think Cavallaro’s piece speaks to the commercial sugar-coating of Easter as it is commonly celebrated now; what have we done to Easter, and by extension, what have we done to Christ?
It’s too bad that the reigning debate at this point in time is about religious sensitivity, propriety and censorship when it should be about love for humanity, redemption, divine grace, and the old tension between God and Mammon.
We are in Holy Week after all.
Postscript:
After (literally) sleeping on it overnight with a head full of flu-induced weird dreams, I think that if Cavallaro had *really* wanted to get people's goat, he could have wrapped My Sweet Lord in thin silver foil, inserted a ticker-tape style slip of wax paper that read "Christ" and re-named the piece Kiss Christ, thereby spoofing both the popular chocolate and referencing American photographer Andres Serrano's controversial 1989 photo. Then things would really hop.
For a more gentle, compassionate view, read Mary Rayme's article Chocolate Obama Jesus on controversial Jesus sculptures at Easter time.
Posted by
Jennifer Yap
In a Dublin scavenger hunt, where would you go to find the Stiffy by the Liffey or the Crank on the Bank?
Got waylaid on my research for St. Paddy's Day and ended up at the Wikipedia page for Dublin Statues and their nicknames.
I’d almost forgotten all about Irish rhyming slang and then all of a sudden whatever little I knew came flooding back.
It’s rude, it’s crude, shockingly un-PC… but it’s such wicked fun! Absolutely no one is spared; even people the Irish *like* get rude monikers. But I enjoy these for their insolence and insistence on rhyme. If you have a warped sense of humour, you’ll enjoy these!
The politically correct will wince but remember not to take things too seriously… after all, the Irish don’t. In fact, they actually have quite a bit of affection for some of the people they lampoon in slang.
Just so you get a sense of what you’ll find:
James Joyce is “The Prick with the Stick” because his statue depicts him walking with a cane.
Patrick Kavanagh is the “Crank on the Bank” because his statue is set on a bench by the river bank looking over the water.
Oscar Wilde is the “Fag on the Crag” because his statue is lounging on a big boulder
Some statues even have quite a few nicknames… you’ll see.
I’d almost forgotten all about Irish rhyming slang and then all of a sudden whatever little I knew came flooding back.
It’s rude, it’s crude, shockingly un-PC… but it’s such wicked fun! Absolutely no one is spared; even people the Irish *like* get rude monikers. But I enjoy these for their insolence and insistence on rhyme. If you have a warped sense of humour, you’ll enjoy these!
The politically correct will wince but remember not to take things too seriously… after all, the Irish don’t. In fact, they actually have quite a bit of affection for some of the people they lampoon in slang.
Just so you get a sense of what you’ll find:
James Joyce is “The Prick with the Stick” because his statue depicts him walking with a cane.
Patrick Kavanagh is the “Crank on the Bank” because his statue is set on a bench by the river bank looking over the water.
Oscar Wilde is the “Fag on the Crag” because his statue is lounging on a big boulder
Some statues even have quite a few nicknames… you’ll see.
Hello International Polar Year!
Posted by
Jennifer Yap
Look ahead & inspirations for Sculpture/Ceramics page, and International Polar Year
The streets are slick and hissing with the sound of tires cutting through melting snow. Spring cannot be far off now.
As for my earlier plans for snowman building, or any type of snow sculpting, for that matter…
The snow was dry and powdery and definitely in a non-cooperative mood. I gave up after failing to pack even one small snowball and spent the afternoon toboganning in -15C instead. Fun, but it was soooooo cold and windy.
Somehow, I had an affinity for trees and one particularly solid concrete pillar. As my friends yelled at me to steer with my feet - luge style - I stubbornly experimented with shifting my weight, desperately conjuring sailing season in my mind. I managed to navigate past the tree and concrete, but I now know that toboggans, while zippy, are no substitute for a sailboat.
While I prepare to bid adieu to winter, I’m also contemplating the beginning of International Polar Year, which kicked off March 1, 2007 and will last to March 2009 (so it’s 2 years, really). The geek in me is really excited by this international interdisciplinary research programme which involves scientists from 63 nations studying the environment and peoples of both poles.
So…in the next while, I will try to write about the art of circumpolar communities, nature (I know, sounds weird, but it’ll be fun), classic kitsch and, if I manage to get decent information, a wrap-up of the Vancouver Sculpture Biennale. There will also be more “how-to”s since those are extremely popular.
Drop me a line if there’s anything specific you’d like to read about and I’ll try my best to oblige.
As for my earlier plans for snowman building, or any type of snow sculpting, for that matter…
The snow was dry and powdery and definitely in a non-cooperative mood. I gave up after failing to pack even one small snowball and spent the afternoon toboganning in -15C instead. Fun, but it was soooooo cold and windy.
Somehow, I had an affinity for trees and one particularly solid concrete pillar. As my friends yelled at me to steer with my feet - luge style - I stubbornly experimented with shifting my weight, desperately conjuring sailing season in my mind. I managed to navigate past the tree and concrete, but I now know that toboggans, while zippy, are no substitute for a sailboat.
While I prepare to bid adieu to winter, I’m also contemplating the beginning of International Polar Year, which kicked off March 1, 2007 and will last to March 2009 (so it’s 2 years, really). The geek in me is really excited by this international interdisciplinary research programme which involves scientists from 63 nations studying the environment and peoples of both poles.
So…in the next while, I will try to write about the art of circumpolar communities, nature (I know, sounds weird, but it’ll be fun), classic kitsch and, if I manage to get decent information, a wrap-up of the Vancouver Sculpture Biennale. There will also be more “how-to”s since those are extremely popular.
Drop me a line if there’s anything specific you’d like to read about and I’ll try my best to oblige.
LEGO Fans Convene - BrickFest 2007
Posted by
Jennifer Yap
LEGO lovers network, learn, compete and display their creations at BrickFest 2007 in Portland, Oregon.
Speaking of sculpting, remember LEGO? Ahh, endless hours of fun building stuff for the train set to run through… I never had the patience to build anything that looked really polished, generally settling for something utilitarian enough to integrate with my other toys. What I remember liking about LEGO was the fact that anything you built stuck together and couldn’t get knocked down by your playmates!
Now, the serious and the curious can both indulge at BrickFest 2007. This gathering for Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs) from around the world will be held from March 30 - April 1, 2007 in Portland, Oregon at the Oregon Convention Center. Serious convention attendees can register online, and for US$60 get access to all events, seminars and raffle tickets. The registration deadline is March 15.
Curious members of the public (and dilettantes like me) can attend for US$6 on Sunday, April 1, 2007 from 11 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and gawk at the displays made by people who combine creativity, passion and experience, and ask questions. Special US$20 family rate, and children under 3 get in for free. Tickets available at the door.
There are also links from the BrickFest site to several LEGO fan sites.
Now, the serious and the curious can both indulge at BrickFest 2007. This gathering for Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs) from around the world will be held from March 30 - April 1, 2007 in Portland, Oregon at the Oregon Convention Center. Serious convention attendees can register online, and for US$60 get access to all events, seminars and raffle tickets. The registration deadline is March 15.
Curious members of the public (and dilettantes like me) can attend for US$6 on Sunday, April 1, 2007 from 11 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and gawk at the displays made by people who combine creativity, passion and experience, and ask questions. Special US$20 family rate, and children under 3 get in for free. Tickets available at the door.
There are also links from the BrickFest site to several LEGO fan sites.
May The Force (& Luck) Be With You
Posted by
Jennifer Yap
Prize will be created and awarded at LA Star Wars convention in May 2007
Attention Star Wars fans on the West Coast! Star Wars artist Lawrence Noble – yes, the guy who created the Yoda figure standing in the courtyard of the Lucasfilm offices in San Francisco – will be sculpting a life-sized bust of Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Star Wars Celebration IV Convention in Los Angeles from May 24 to 28, 2007.
(We’re talking about the original Obi-Wan as played by Alec Guinness here, which I find pretty ironic as he never really liked being identified with the part. RIP Sir Alec – we like your serious work too, not just the space operas.)
Fans can drop by and chat with Noble, and check out the work-in-progress as he works away.
And one lucky person will get to take the sculpture home at the end of the convention… or rather, have the final bronze version shipped to their home.
Details of the convention can be found here.
To those of you who will be attending... good luck! And may the Force be with you!
(We’re talking about the original Obi-Wan as played by Alec Guinness here, which I find pretty ironic as he never really liked being identified with the part. RIP Sir Alec – we like your serious work too, not just the space operas.)
Fans can drop by and chat with Noble, and check out the work-in-progress as he works away.
And one lucky person will get to take the sculpture home at the end of the convention… or rather, have the final bronze version shipped to their home.
Details of the convention can be found here.
To those of you who will be attending... good luck! And may the Force be with you!
Winterlude 2007 ice & snow winners
Posted by
Jennifer Yap
Results and photos of Winterlude 2007 ice carving and snow sculpting competition in Ottawa, Canada's national capital
The Winterlude ice carving and snow sculpting winners have been announced in Ottawa, Canada! Ice carving (solo category) was won by Ross Baisas of Canada with “Arctic Hunting”. Hitoshi Shimmoto of France came in second with “Water Goddess” and Mark Davis of the US came in third with “Pressure Sensitive”.
Ice carving (pairs category) was won by Junichi Nakamura and Ka Wai Wong (Japan/Canada) with “Queen of the Coral”, followed by Samuel Girault and Robert Burkat (France/Poland) in second place with “Hope” and Hideshi Terada and Takashi Ito, (Canada) with “Friends”.
Snow sculptors from the Northwest Territories won the top prize (no surprise there!), followed by a second-place finish from the team from Nova Scotia and British Columbia in third place.
Check out the above links for photo tips chronicling each stage of design, marking, carving and display of the work.
By the way, it's freezing as I write this, with a storm projected to dump 10 to 15 cm of snow onto Toronto. The city slowed to a crawl during the evening rush today, and I expect the morning commute to be a tedious affair unless the road crews manage a miracle overnight.
Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to the weekend's toboganning and snowman building with some of the kiddies in my life. The most popular pro tools appear to be scrapers, chisels and chainsaws; I'm going to be using a shovel, a scraper and my mitted hands...
Ice carving (pairs category) was won by Junichi Nakamura and Ka Wai Wong (Japan/Canada) with “Queen of the Coral”, followed by Samuel Girault and Robert Burkat (France/Poland) in second place with “Hope” and Hideshi Terada and Takashi Ito, (Canada) with “Friends”.
Snow sculptors from the Northwest Territories won the top prize (no surprise there!), followed by a second-place finish from the team from Nova Scotia and British Columbia in third place.
Check out the above links for photo tips chronicling each stage of design, marking, carving and display of the work.
By the way, it's freezing as I write this, with a storm projected to dump 10 to 15 cm of snow onto Toronto. The city slowed to a crawl during the evening rush today, and I expect the morning commute to be a tedious affair unless the road crews manage a miracle overnight.
Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to the weekend's toboganning and snowman building with some of the kiddies in my life. The most popular pro tools appear to be scrapers, chisels and chainsaws; I'm going to be using a shovel, a scraper and my mitted hands...
World War I Memorial Ice Sculpture
Posted by
Jennifer Yap
Frozen sculpture heralds Vimy Ridge battle’s 90th anniversary
Ice sculptures seem to be extremely popular these days. From China to Austria and the US, there are competitions and festivals featuring carvings of mythological creatures, winter scenes and even film stars. But I think I can safely say that no one has yet built an ice memorial.
Today, Veterans Affairs Canada and the National Capital Commission unveiled a 26-tonne, 5.5 metre ice replica of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial as part of this year's Winterlude in Ottawa. The ice sculpture is created from 200 blocks of ice by master carvers from Canada, the US and Japan, and serves to mark the upcoming 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the dedication of the restored monument in France, which had been discoloured and eroded by acid rain.
The battle of Vimy Ridge took place in April 1917 and is considered a turning point in Canada’s military history. The Canadians employed detailed communications and planning to take the ridge despite the German army’s geographical advantage. However, this victory in defending nearby Arras left 3,598 Canadian soldiers dead and more than 10,600 injured.
In gratitude, the French gave the lands around Vimy Ridge to the Canadians to build a memorial to the war dead.
Today, Veterans Affairs Canada and the National Capital Commission unveiled a 26-tonne, 5.5 metre ice replica of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial as part of this year's Winterlude in Ottawa. The ice sculpture is created from 200 blocks of ice by master carvers from Canada, the US and Japan, and serves to mark the upcoming 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the dedication of the restored monument in France, which had been discoloured and eroded by acid rain.
The battle of Vimy Ridge took place in April 1917 and is considered a turning point in Canada’s military history. The Canadians employed detailed communications and planning to take the ridge despite the German army’s geographical advantage. However, this victory in defending nearby Arras left 3,598 Canadian soldiers dead and more than 10,600 injured.
In gratitude, the French gave the lands around Vimy Ridge to the Canadians to build a memorial to the war dead.
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