Concrete and Light: Moriyama Regeneration Hall

Learn about Moriyama Regeneration Hall and its personal connection with the architect of the Museum at 18 min, 30 sec in your downloaded file or use the player above. 

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The final stop in “Concrete and Light” is the RG Nyala vehicle on display in LeBreton Gallery. Find it on the lower level, at the northeast corner of LeBreton Gallery, near Moriyama Regeneration Hall. 

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Narrator: And, as our tour continues, we leave behind the intensity of the main galleries, and enter the Moriyama Regeneration Hall. The difference is immediate and intentional. This space is designed for contemplation, and to offer visitors a bit of respite.

[Background noises rise and fade. Sounds of whistling wind begin.]

Camille: And one of the most, I would say, healing spaces is Regeneration Hall. It’s a beautiful space, because it has that little whistling sound.

Narrator: The chamber is dramatic, the walls tilted and cathedral-like. It’s here where Moriyama’s vision comes together: the heaviness of the steel and concrete, with the transformative power of light.

That sound you’re hearing was recorded during its actual construction, when the wind passed through gaps in the unfinished building. When Moriyama heard the sound, it reminded him of his childhood treehouse at the internment camp. It was a place of comfort and solace. It was also the first thing he ever built. He asked someone to record it. Now it plays here for every visitor.

Camille: And I’ve done guided tours with people in the military. They say that that sound is relieving, because it sounds like a white noise. It’s really nice.

Narrator: The hall also houses the original plaster models of the statues made for the Vimy Memorial in France, carved by renowned Canadian sculptor, Walter Allward.

Camille: We have 17 out of the 20 Walter Allward plasters. These are virtues and values that Walter Allward sculpted. So these are values that are important for Canada.

Narrator: His statues of humans in various poses are meant to be allegorical, representing virtues such as peace, truth, charity, faith, honour . . .

Camille: We have, over here, Knowledge. We have here Justice. We have The Spirit of Sacrifice, which is really a beautiful one. And then we have The Sympathy of the Canadians for the Helpless. But one of my favorites is Hope — she’s over there.

Because Hope connects, she’s directly aligned with the Peace Tower. And when you go to the left or the right, the Peace Tower moves, but Hope doesn’t. So, it’s in this optical illusion, because hope is always there — she’s your foundation. But the peace, it is farther away; but it’s still obtainable.