18
Canadian War
Museum Offers
History and Hope
BY E. LISA MOSES
CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM • CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM/HARRY FOSTER
Designed by renowned Canadian architect
Raymond Moriyama, the Canadian War
Museum in downtown Ottawa sees some
500,000 visitors a year. The theme of its
architectural design, "regeneration," evokes
not only the impact of war on the land, but
also nature's ability to regenerate and
accommodate the physical devastation from
human conflict.
The prize-winning design holds much
symbolism. The gently sloping roof sweeps
up to a height of 25 metres, where the
windows of Moriyama Regeneration Hall
provide an evocative view of Parliament
Hill. Inside, Memorial Hall holds a pool of
calm water and a lone artefact: the
headstone from the grave of Canada's
Unknown Soldier.
It is also one of the world's most
respected museums for the study and
understanding of armed conflict. The four
Canadian Experience Galleries highlight
how past events have shaped Canada and
Canadians, the brutal realities of organized
human conflict, and the importance of
remembrance and understanding.
Exhibitions use the human experience of
war—told mainly through personal stories,
artefacts, and recollections of ordinary
Canadians—to engage visitors in a personal
dialogue about their country, its past and
its prospects.
This year's major exhibition, War Games,
runs from June 9 to December 31. It
investigates how gaming has been used to
develop tactics and train for real-world
conflicts, and how wars have shaped the
games people play at home.
Across the street from the Canadian War
Museum is the National Holocaust Monument,
titled Landscape of Loss, Memory and Survival
(www.warmuseum.ca).
