hilderman thomas frank oodena celebration circle cram
TRANSCRIPT
The Forks, Winnipeg, Manitoba 1993 - Present
Oodena Celebration Circle
Once in his life a man ought to concentrate
his mind upon the remembered earth, I
believe. He ought to give himself up to a
particular landscape in his experience, to
look at it from as many angles as he can, to
wonder about it, to dwell upon it. He ought
to imagine that he touches it with his hands
at every season and listens to the sounds
that are made upon it. He ought to imagine
the creatures there and all the faintest
motions of the wind. He ought to recollect
the glare of noon and all the colours of the
dawn and dusk.
N. Scott Momaday,
The Way to Rainy Mountain (1969)
Published in “Crossings”
The Forks, situated at the junction of water-
based travel routes that bisect the continent
in all compass directions, has been a
gathering place for thousands of years. It is
perhaps the most important historic site in
Western Canada. In late 1992, The Forks
Renewal Corporation called for proposals
to design a ‘spiritual heart’ among the
commercial and recreational developments
proliferating there. Now called Oodena
Celebration Circle, after the Ojibwa word
meaning “heart of the city”, this new site
was to be a rallying place, identifiable as the
centre of The Forks development, and
invoking the spirit that has drawn people
here for the past eight millennia.
H I L D E R M A NT H O M A S
F R A N KC R A M
Located on a windswept wedge of land
between the newly renovated Manitoba
Children’s Museum and the Johnston
Terminal retail and office complex, the site
is a hub connecting several existing and
proposed destinations. The technical
requirements for the project included flood
protection measures, provision for loading
access to the historic buildings, short term
parking, a school bus lay-by and a transit
loop. The program also required a gathering
space for ceremonies and presentations to
be located near the riverbank at the junction
of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.
The design challenge was to identify
appropriate uses for the site and imbue a
sense of spirituality within the burgeoning
commercial and recreational activity. One
aspect of the challenge was the diversity of
cultural groups that had a stake in the
heritage of The Forks. Early in the design
process, Hilderman Thomas Frank
Cram gathered archaeologists, historians,
aboriginal representatives, designers and
administrators in a workshop to discuss the
source of spirituality in the landscape. The
forces of nature, celestial patterns and
mythologies were common themes running
through the discussion.
Oodena Celebration Circle was, therefore,
conceived as an opportunity to demonstrate
our reverence for the long cultural history of
the site, and to put us back in touch with
the natural elements of earth, fire, water and
sky. The 3 metre deep excavation unearthed
what archaeologists call “the archaic
horizon” – a 3,000 year old layer of soil rich
in artefacts. The resulting “bowl” became a
gathering place that evokes spirituality
without reference to culture-specific
symbols, by directing our attention to the
beauty of the sun on the horizon, the wonder
of starry nights, the serenity of winter
bonfires and the drama of spring flooding –
experiences, and presumably responses,
which we share and thus, experiences which
unite us as human beings.
INTERPRETIVE PANELGRAPHICS INSCRIBED ON INSIDE FACES OF MONOLITH PAIRS
SPEAKER ENCLOSURE
ARMATURE MOUNTED ON MONOLITH
SIGHTS FOR STAR ALIGNMENTS
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Polaris altitude 50 .0 (constant)
Sun path win
ter
solstice
Sun path
equinox
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ummer sols
tice
brightest stars
Castor
Rigel
Sirius
ProcyonBetelgeus
Aldebaran
Pollux
Adhara
PleiadesArcturus
AltairRegulus
Antares
Spica
Fomalhaut
Vega
DenebCapella
serpent fence
cobblestone buscul-de-sac
grass bowl
mosaic stage andwinter fire pit
Johnston Terminal
Manitoba Children’sMuseum
future ramp connectionto riverside promenade
sandstone cobble moundswith astronomical sighting
structures
Site Plan of Oodena Celebration Circle
SiriusSirius
SpicaSpica
RigelRigel
The gaps between the monoliths align with solstice and equinox sunrises and sunsets. Steel
armatures mounted on the monoliths define precise sightlines for visitors to view specific
stars. Stories and images from various cultures are presented on interpretive panels and
sandblasted into the monoliths.
Typical interpretive panel, layered
stainless steel, bronze and copper.