Eduardo Aquino, Johanne Sloan, Kathryn Walter
Memorial Installation dedicated to four Concordia professors, 1996
About the Artwork
Medium: granite, aluminum, steel, neon light
Dimensions: varied
This installation is dedicated to the memories of four professors who were shot and killed in Concordia University’s Hall building on August 24, 1992.
Matthew McCartney Douglass (1926-1992), Professor, Civil Engineering
Michael Hogben (1940-1992), Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Aaron Saber (1946-1992), Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Phoivos Ziogas (1944-1992), Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Following the tragic incident, a competition was launched for the creation of a monument, amongst the Concordia community. The chosen project was conceived by a team including Eduardo Aquino (artist/architect), Johanne Sloan (art historian), and Kathryn Walter (visual artist). They collaborated with the Douglass, Hogben, Saber and Ziogas families in the process of creating this interactive memorial installation.
The monumental granite picnic-style tables are inscribed with the victims’ names, along with quotations provided by their loved ones. Throughout the space, there are concrete blocks that are miniature replicas of the Hall building, while a horizontal neon light radiates on the stone wall in the background. The combined elements function as a permanent historical marker, and a call to thoughtful engagement. Members of the Concordia community are invited to use the memorial installation for study, contemplation, interaction and assembly.
The quotes inscribed on the tables:
Matthew Douglas: “If we succeed in giving the love of learning, the learning itself is sure to follow.” (Sir John Lubbock, The Pleasures of Life)
Michael Hogben “Whoever is a teacher through and through takes all things seriously only in relation to his students - even himself.” (Friedrich Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil)
Aaron Saber: “Qui tacet consentit.”
Phoivos Ziogas: “Phoebus, Arise and Paint the Sable Skies with Azure, White and Red.” (W. Drummond)
About the Artists
All three artists are affiliated with Concordia, Aquino is an artist-architect. Sloan is an art historian and critic and Walter is a visual artist.
Artwork Location
Campus: Sir George Williams (Quartier Concordia)
Location: Lobby, Henry F. Hall Building
Address: 1455 de Maisonneuve Boulevard W.
Engage with this artwork
Concordia is a partner with MONA – a non-profit organization that encourages people to discover and engage with public art and cultural spaces in Montreal.
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