Terry Fox Memorial

Description of Work:
This four-sided architectural memorial sits on a raised platform of concrete and tiles outside BC Place. According to the pamphlet Downtown Vancouver Architecture and Public Art (1998), "the memorial is a postmodern interpretation of the triumphal arches of Rome." There is a stylized cast lion on each corner of the roof. The square pavilion houses a map of Canada and an image of one-legged runner Terry Fox by Ian Bateson etched into polished steel surfaces. The inscriptions commemorate Fox's heroic effort to run across Canada to raise funds for cancer research. The "Marathon of Hope" eventually raised over $30m.

Artist Statement:
The miracle of Terry Fox was that he was an ordinary young man who turned his response to pain and loss into a triumph of hope and courage. When Terry lost his right leg to cancer in 1977 he decided to raise funds for cancer research. He would run across Canada and ask every Canadian to join the fight against cancer by donating one dollar. He began his Marathon of Hope in Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 heading for the Pacific and home 5,300 miles away. As he ran his daily 26 miles, the lone figure with the distinctive hop-and-skip gait became a symbol that captured the imagination of a nation. On September 2, Terry was forced to abandon his run when cancer was discovered in his lung. That morning he had written 3,318 miles under the date in his diary. But the Marathon of Hope was not over. Messages of affection and encouragement flooded in and donations to continue the battle against cancer, eventually totaled more than $30 million. In the last year of his brief life Terry received many honours, but Terry Fox will always be remembered most as the young man who demonstrated and took a nation along with him on his Marathon of Hope. Dedicated 1984 by the people of British Columbia; Architect:Franklin Allen / The Corner Group; Illustration: Ian Bateson"