Serendipity Pavilion
A redevelopment of OIympic Plaza
Vision
This project seeks to tackle issues of multiculturalism in the Canadian Identity. In redeveloping Olympic Plaza, the contributions that the country’s various cultural groups will be brought to the forefront of public awareness and help to build a more unified understanding of ourselves.
Unfortunately, the contributions of many groups has been repressed, stigmatised, and overlooked. By leaving these stories untold, Canada leaves itself in a weaker position, not fully able to understand itself.
Critical Statement
Canada is currently undergoing a great period of critical reflection, regarding how the country has, and continues to, treat its indigenous peoples, as well as many of its minority groups. By denying these groups, both past and present, representation and recognition they are being deprived of their ability and capacity to build their own identities and being deprived—spiritually, physically, temporally—of their ability and capacity to contribute to the building of the society, culture, in which they live.
The project looks to tackle issues of multiculturalism in Canadian identity by recognizing and creating a multi-dimensional platform for communicating stories experienced by significant minority communities about social exclusion and racialization encountered by them. Calgary as a city encounters issues at a micro level where in contributions from multiple minority communities are shadowed. Though Canada as a country promotes minority rights, social exclusion happens on a micro level within a community or a neighbourhood in every country. To honour the contributions made by the minority groups, the opportunity is ceased by creating a platform that acts as a living room to the city. A space to glance into understanding and experiencing inclusion of minority communities purposefully. A living room that provides a space and acts as a portrait to the city by displaying content relating to minority rights, equality in pay and inclusion of minority communities which would ultimately play a significant role in advancing socio-political stability and peace not just on the micro level, but in a larger global sense. Specifically, to bring to the forefront and unite the contributions that Canada’s various cultural backgrounds have made to creating the Canada we know today. Sadly, many cultural backgrounds are stigmatised or repressed in how they have—and do—help to create a better, stronger society.
Canadian society has reached a crossroads in its understanding of itself. What before we thought impossible to address is suddenly now more tangible in realising its resolution (Burroughs, 2019). Much public discussion has arisen around how society has treated these groups and how it should work to address this imbalance moving forward. It is only through robust circulation and discussion of these issues that we may confront the injustices of representation that have been perpetrated and create a stronger, more equitable, path forwards (Brookfield, 2016).
