Komagata Maru Monument

Project Details

Situated in a green space overlooking the Vancouver waterfront, this monument is a reminder of Canadian immigration policies of the early 20th century specifically meant to keep immigrants from India out of the country. The monument occupies a prominent location in an urban area with considerable pedestrian traffic. The incident being memorialized involves a ship with immigrants from India being denied entry into the country and forced to remain in the harbour. The monument features gently sloping weathered steel panels meant to emulate a ship’s bow. A steel panel with the names of the aggrieved echoes the facing panels and completes the impression of a ship’s bow.

Names perforate the weathered steel panel with uplighting from behind to catch the lettering edges. Lighting on the foliage beyond is perceived through the lettering to enhance the contemplative nature of the monument.

Photography: Ken Roepe