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14 Not Forgotten Memorial

School of Engineering

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Women make up half the population but are still severely underrepresented in engineering, both at school and in the field. This needs to change. The 14 Not Forgotten memorial at UBC Okanagan will provide a powerful symbol of solidarity and support.

We know from talking to women in engineering across Canada that being a woman in this field isn’t easy. Even though more women than ever are working and studying in engineering, they still often face discrimination.

One of the ways we can change this is by showing our unequivocal support for women who choose to enter this exciting field.

The 14 Not Forgotten Memorial at the UBC Okanagan campus is an inspirational art installation that will be a permanent memorial to the young women whose lives were taken during the tragic 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal. Most of the 14 were young female engineering students whose dreams were cut short by a man who didn’t think they belonged there.

This interactive public art piece, located in a highly visible location on the UBC Okanagan campus, is being created by multidisciplinary Indigenous artist and UBCO Creative Studies assistant professor Tania Willard and Berlin-based Syilx Nation artist Krista Belle Stewart. The installation features an elevated, working firebowl surrounded by permanent seating. It will provide a place for annual 14 Not Forgotten memorial ceremonies and will be a visible symbol of the School of Engineering’s support for diversity, equity and inclusion.

We have almost reached our fundraising goal and we are thankful for generous gifts from UBCO’s Engineering Student Society, the School of Engineering and the Faculty of Applied Sciences. Please show your support by making a donation by July 31, 2021 to ensure this permanent memorial can be in place before December ceremonies.

The artists

To inspire and remember

Tania Willard (Secwepemc) and Krista Belle Stewart (Syilx), two well-established artists Indigenous to the BC Interior, will collaborate on the 14 Not Forgotten memorial at UBC Okanagan. This public artwork will be an installation dedicated to the victims of the École Polytechnique massacre and inspired by Tania’s ‘Surrounded-Surrounding’ (2018). This powerful piece accommodates a fire that can be lit during the annual 14 Not Forgotten ceremony, adding a highly impactful performative aspect to the installation. A permanent seating element will surround the elevated fire bowl to provide a place for memorial ceremonies, and a place of contemplation to view the artwork, the natural tranquility of the surrounding wildlife, and the pond that the memorial looks out on.

Tania Willard — ‘Surrounded-Surrounding’ (2018)
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