Jon Sasaki + DTAH selected for public art and landscape installation inspired by Terry Fox on Toronto's waterfront

Jon Sasaki + DTAH are thrilled that our public art and landscape installation proposal, We Are Shaped by the Obstacles We Face, has been selected through a competitive process as the winning concept for Legacy Art Project Toronto (LAPT). LAPT is a citizen-funded public space initiative dedicated to the spirit of courage, determination, and action that Terry Fox embodied. LAPT, working with the City of Toronto, will build a permanent public art and landscape installation on Toronto's waterfront inspired by Terry Fox’s legacy. The new installation, located at 439 Queen’s Quay between the Music Garden and Spadina Wetlands, will be unveiled in Fall 2020 to help mark the 40th anniversary of Fox’s cross-Canada Marathon of Hope. Learn more here

An open, national design competition, facilitated by seasoned art consultant Rebecca Carbin, Principal of Art + Public Unltd, was conducted in Fall 2018. The jury, comprised of art and design luminaries, selected the finalist after receiving proposals from five Canadian artist and landscape architecture teams. They chose the winning piece following a reception at Fort York that also welcomed Fox’s biographer, Leslie Scrivener and Councillor Cressy.

We Are Shaped By The Obstacles We Face is an integrated experiential installation that strives to convey Terry Fox's astounding perseverance, determination, and optimism in the face of challenge. The installation is a curving course of intriguing granite sculptures that act as an optical illusion, visually appearing to obstruct a visitor's path with a wall of stone and foliage from certain perspectives, while creating an uplifting silhouette of Terry Fox from another. The installation aims to reframe obstacles as things not just to be feared. Rather, it brings to light how obstacles can be something to push up against, a problem to be solved, a test, a growth opportunity that can make us stronger for ourselves and others, and something that can help define our relationship to the world. The optical illusion of obstacles throughout the installation, a concept inspired by P-Gates, act as both disruptions and sites of contemplation. The result is a transformative and interactive experience that has visitors reflect on their journey and the rewards of perseverance. Once visitors reach the end of the path and look back at the obstacles, the realization that the rocks actually work together to visually create something greater will inspire visitors to continue pushing forward and to recognize the impactful things that can be achieved from a collective perspective.