Coupland Statue Unveiled Today
from today's National Post.....
By Natalie Alcoba, National Post
A provocative new monument near Fort York that “gently†reminds onlookers of who won the War of 1812 shows a giant British toy soldier towering over a toppled American figurine.
It was created by Vancouver-based artist and author Douglas Coupland, and was unveiled today at the corner of Fleet and Bathurst streets as the public art contribution of a 32-storey condominium.
“I grew up thinking the Americans lost the War of 1812, and it turns out there’s this creeping revisionism happening. Americans are saying maybe we didn’t lose. Maybe we won it,†Mr. Coupland told a crowd of onlookers gathered to see his first permanent installation.
A spokesperson for the U.S. consulate in Toronto had no comment on the monument, but said the U.S. government is committed to freedom of speech.
People laughed out loud as a white tarp was pulled away, and the gold and silver toy soldiers revealed. The standing soldier is dressed as a member of the 1813 Royal Newfoundland Regiment; the soldier on its backside is a member of the 16th U.S. Infantry Regiment. “I wanted to come up with an elegant and simple way of saying no, the British won,†said Mr. Coupland.
The Canadian and American disconnect over what happened during the War of 1812, when American troops invaded what was then a British colony, only to be pushed backwards, has become apparent as the two camps plan to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the three-year war.
Connie Barrone, the site manager of the Sackets Harbor state historical park in northern New York, had in a previous interview with the National Post declared the American troops victorious. But today, she applauded Toronto for its “strong†monument.
In an e-mail, she wrote that “historical or aesthetic interpretation must be made by the viewer.â€
“Depending on ones’ point of historical interpretation, the figures could be reversed, for example representing the Battle of York, or the figures might both be standing “eyeball to eyeball†when interpreting the War of 1812,†she wrote. The Battle of York is considered by U.S. historians to be an important American victory; a press kit for yesterday’s event remembered it differently: “The Americans burned York in retaliation and left.â€
Mr. Coupland said the monument is not meant to rub Americans’ noses in their loss — rather “gently†remind people of what actually happened during the War of 1812 “because history is a fluid notion and it can be rewritten.â€
Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone said he is not worried about offending American tourists.
“It’s really a statement about the nature of war, as much as about the War of 1812,†Mr. Pantalone said after the launch. “It’s not in my personal interpretation, it would not be that one side won and one side lost, it’s just that both sides would be affected by it, and both sides moved on.â€
Also at the unveiling was former governor-general Adrienne Clarkson, who called the sculpture a “wonderful thing, by not only a great visual artist, but writer.â€
The two soldiers are made of styrofoam over a steel armature, then blanketed with a resin hardcoat. They were built in Calgary, and transported on an open air flatbed truck to Toronto. The Monument to the War of 1812 cost about $500,000, and was commissioned by Malibu Investments, which developed the Malibu at Harbourfront. The sculpture is located on its front steps.
Toronto historian Ron Fletcher, who was at the unveiling, said his first reaction was that the monument was comical. Then he worried if it trivialized the war.
But he noted that the plaque attached to the monument describes “two abandoned two soldiers.â€
“Now that you see the word abandoned you get a little sympathy towards them, which is a different attitude than, isn’t’ this disrespectful,†said Mr. Fletcher, who is working on a book about the War of 1812. “I kind of like controversial art bcause it makes you think. A lot of war memorials don’t make you think ... what does the War of 1812 mean to me?â€