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Terry Fox Memorial at BC Place by Douglas Coupland

Comments 9 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Many have been concerned about the fate of Vancouver’s only memorial for Terry Fox on Beatty and Robson as BC Place undergoes a massive renovation. However PavCo, the operators of BC Place and coordinators of the stadium and plaza’s revitalization, has just announced that they have commissioned local author and artist Douglas Coupland to create a new Terry Fox memorial.

B.C. Place
Photo © i.craigus on Flickr

Terry Fox Plaza is slated for renovation as part of the current revitalization of BC Place and surrounding grounds, and the existing memorial must be removed as part of the upgrade to the plaza. Both PavCo and the Fox family have agreed that removal of the current memorial provides an opportunity to replace it with a new and lasting commemoration of Terry Fox’s “Marathon of Hope”. Coupland, who wrote the 2005 fundraiser tribute book “Terry”, was retained by PavCo to create the new memorial in consultation with the Fox family.

Coupland’s latest piece of public art is the “Digital Orca” at the Vancouver Convention Centre. In 2005 he published “Terry”, a tribute book in collaboration with the Terry Fox Foundation.

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9 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

  1. KarenTuesday, October 19th, 2010 — 9:53am PDT

    Oh thank goodness! That horrible 80s faux arc de triumph is an abomination, totally unworthy of such a hero.

    Would a nice bronze be asking too much?

  2. Ian Andrew BellTuesday, October 19th, 2010 — 10:41am PDT

    I agree with Karen! The existing monument is horrific and bears no obvious visual reference to Terry and all that he represents.

    Proof that the existence of something lame can actually be worse than having nothing at all.. as it prevents a more fitting tribute from being attempted.

    Glad this is finally being remedied.

  3. DarrenTuesday, October 19th, 2010 — 10:49am PDT

    Indeed, I came here to add my own disdain for that horrible monument. I don’t love everything Coupland does, but he clearly has enormous affection for Fox, so he should do a good job.

  4. LisaTuesday, October 19th, 2010 — 10:54am PDT

    Good news! I agree with Darren, but I do love the digital orca.

  5. LCTuesday, October 19th, 2010 — 10:54am PDT

    Has the Fox family weighed in on this one? Not that I loved the previous one, but do they have any affinity to the original one?

  6. AnneTuesday, October 19th, 2010 — 12:12pm PDT

    I hope he does a digital Terry! The orca is great.

  7. JackTuesday, October 19th, 2010 — 12:51pm PDT

    I bet it’s going to be something typical that Canadians do now, some modern looking pretentious pile of crap bearing no resemblance to the man it’s supposed to represent. This is exactly the problem with the horrific memorial that stands there now. Sorry, the average person doesn’t have the ability to recognize and separate art and memorial. How about just doing a larger than life sized statue of Terry Fox?? That way young people and new residents can actually see what the man looked like. You know this isn’t going to happen though.

  8. Ian Andrew BellWednesday, October 20th, 2010 — 12:18pm PDT

    LC, he was asked to do it by the Fox Family themselves, so I suspect this means that they have weighed in on it..

  9. Bob ElliottThursday, October 28th, 2010 — 9:05pm PDT

    I know you have been commissioned to create a new monument in honour of Terry Fox. As I heard this an idea jumped into my mind, put the “larger than life” sized statue of Terry Fox, suggested by Jack on Oct 19/10, in bronze, on a base that is the map of Canada with Terry Fox standing at Thunder Bay.

    If you use this idea, I don’t want any money/remuneration, just an acknowledgment of my idea.

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