The Supreme Court

 One day earlier this month I stopped by the Supreme Court of Canada to photograph around the grounds.

A statue of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent is placed here, looking east towards Parliament Hill. It is a deliberate placement- had he not gone into politics, this brilliant lawyer might have ended up a member of the Court.

The building is in the Art Deco style, lying to the west of the Parliamentary precinct.

Two statues out front are allegorical in nature, by Walter Allward.

I noticed a groundhog.

Out back, views of the Ottawa River.

In The Gallery

 I begin where I left off yesterday, with one more look at Walter Allward's extraordinary plaster cast versions for his work on the Vimy Memorial.

The next space is the Lebreton Gallery, home to a multitude of military vehicles and equipment from around the world and multiple eras. We begin with the Nyala Armoured Personnel Carrier, used in the Afghan War

Here we have the F15A Wireless Truck, a mobile communication center of the Second World War.

Side by side, two Canadian vehicles. The AA7 Cargo Carrier was designed for winter conditions and Arctic travel. The Water Weasel at right originates from the Second World War.

This is the M113 Combat Engineering Vehicle.

A mobile office in a trailer- this particular one was used by Canadian Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar during the Second World War.

And here we have the staff car of Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander during campaigns in North Africa and Italy. After the war, he would be the governor-general of Canada.

Regeneration

 Raymond Moriyama was the architect who designed the Canadian War Museum, when it came time for a new location and a large expansion from its previous location. He and his family were also tied to history- they were among 22 000 Japanese-Canadians interned during World War Two. That background informs the design of the building, which very much suits the subject. There are two focal points in the building's architecture that Moriyama put into the design, one of which I photographed on this visit.

The axis of the Museum is centered with this space- Regeneration Hall. The long tall window is positioned with a direct view of Parliament Hill, a deliberate choice by Moriyama. When the building was under construction, he noted the sound of wind blowing through this space, and had it recorded. It is a haunting sound, played back in this area. Listen to it right here.

Down below are half-scale plaster casts, done by Walter Allward. He designed and led the construction of the Vimy Memorial in France, where Canadian soldiers fought a bloody battle during the First World War, doing what other allied forces could not do and capturing Vimy Ridge. France set aside the land after the war for a memorial to the men who had done so much, and all Canadian dead of that war. Allward in his design went for allegorical figures, with a tone of grief and sorrow, which are incorporated into the Memorial.

This is a model of the Memorial.

They evoke power and sadness.

This painting is of the unveiling of the Memorial. Georges Bertin Scott painted the work, which features the official party, led by Edward VIII, moving off after the ceremony.

We'll pick up here tomorrow

Sorrow

 Walter Allward was commissioned to design and create the Vimy Memorial in France. The scene of one of Canada's greatest victories during the First World War, Vimy Ridge had also been a costly, bloody battle. Allward created a monument with an emphasis on grief and mourning, peopled with allegorical figures. The half scale plaster casts he used in the design process are found here, and they resonate with their own power, deep in sorrow.

This is a model of the Memorial itself.

And more of these sculptures. They leave a big impression when you see them in person.

The next space beyond is the Lebreton Gallery. Here we find a large variety of military vehicles and equipment from multiple countries and multiple wars.