WAASAMOO-MITIGOOG
This is the Electric Forest. In Anishinaabemowin, Waasamoo-mitigoog means electric forest/trees. Throughout design, our Indigenous Placekeeper led us through teachings about the history of pine and cedar and their importance to this land and its people. The Eastern White Cedar has medicinal and spiritual significance, symbolizing strength and resilience. The Eastern White Pine has deep connections to Treaty 13 and is known in Haudenosaunee as "the tree of peace". The park's dominant curvaceous forms take their cues from these trees.
The name also alludes to Electric Circus, the unscripted and kinetically vibrant MuchMusic show. MuchMusic, the Canadian institution that sparked energy and defined a spirit of belonging and open-minded culture-making in this neighbourhood for decades, was a generation's natural cultural lab. As the park's name conjures up the spirit of curiosity and experimentation that was MuchMusic, it integrates this with a powerful meditation about land and regeneration. The park will be a place electrified by charged histories and the regenerative power - mentally, psychologically, and ecologically - of a forest.
If this proposal is about regenerating living environments, it also strives to do so playfully and without austerity. Joy, contemplation, awe, and delight are foremost in our mind. A little bit nature; a little bit culture; and every bit wild, this park is designed as an energy source in the city. With the power of the ancestral forests and the vibrancy of MuchMusic all but turned off from the Queen and John neighbourhood, Waasamoo-mitigoog / Electric Forest is a playful reignition of a public place in our city.
(From competitor's text)
Jury members felt that this submission truly caught the spirit of what a cultural corridor should be with their futuristic ode to the Much Music culture lab. This submission spoke to the heritage of this area, and it successfully captured the Much Music energy and spirit and manifested it in multiple ways through design and programming. They felt that this design could animate Richmond Street, and function as a "natural cultural lab" incorporating many possibilities.
In addition, they felt that Indigenous Placekeeping concept was inclusive, using symbols and plantings that are known as medicine coast to coast, and proposing a sacred fire.
The jury shared the City's Steering Committee concerns with respect to the height of and maintenance required for the sculptural trees. Some jury members were concerned about the width and length of the paved enclaves and the implications on access, maintenance, and safety. While the jury appreciated the Indigenous cultural inspiration for the use of white pines and cedars, they were concerned about their viability in the urban environment. Overall, the jury and the public commended the team for proposing a significant amount of planting. Most jury members felt that the team had seeded an exciting idea with much room to grow and evolve.
The jury applauds the provocative and bold graphic expression and attention to lighting which honours the cultural spirit of Much Music and the John Street corridor. The jury also appreciated the excellent presentation.
(From jury report)
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