Raymond Moriyama, seen at the 2009 Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, has died at age 93. The renowned Canadian architect had a hand in building some of the country's most iconic buildings. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
When I was a seminary student at the University of Toronto and Emmanuel College I would often walk over to just north of Yonge and Bloor and the striking Toronto Reference Library to study. Emmanuel has its fine old library but this structure is so spacious and imaginative. This building designed by Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama was opened just a few months after we arrived in Toronto so I first visited it when it was brand spankin' new.
Moriyama died recently at the age of 93, and he was a survivor of the Canadian government's racist program of interment of Japanese Canadians. Along with 22,000 other Canadian's of Japanese origin his family was sent to a internment camp for the duration of World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbour. His father was shipped to one camp while Raymond, his pregnant mother, and siblings, were sent to Slocan Camp in the Rockies. Another eminent Canadian, environmental leader David Suzuki (several years younger), was there at the same time.
Despite terrible conditions, and virtual slave labour, both Moriyama and Suzuki, as boys, nourished a love for the natural world. Moriyama describes building a tree house, an inaugural architectural project which he described as a gift from God:
That tree house, when finished, was beautiful. It was my university, my place of solace, a place to think and learn. This is when I first learned to listen to the Earth. The view, and sound, of nature from the tree house was astonishing: the mountains green and silver; the sunrise, the sunset; the whisper of the river and the sound of the wind. I was learning the true meaning of dynamic permanence of temporariness – that the “frightening” storm was a part of a balance to the beautiful sunset and that it was less vengeful than man’s irrational thoughts and deeds.
I was amazed that my despair was subsiding. I began to understand that I could not hate my community and my country, or my hate could crush my own heart and imagination. I replaced the despair with ideas about what I could do as an architect to help my community and Canada. The inspiration for the Canadian War Museum came during this period, at age 12 and 13: the sound of nature and the evening breeze I heard in the tree house coming fully alive 60 years later.
Moriyama also designed the Ontario Science Centre (don't you dare demolish it, Doug Ford!) and the Canadian War Museum, to name just a couple of accomplishments.
It seems appropriate to remember Raymond Moriyama during Creation Time, given that immersion in the natural world shaped him.
Watch this TVO documentary and be inspired by his wisdom and strength.
He was inspired by the natural world to design Science North in Sudbury with a snowflake shaped structure - K
ReplyDeleteI don't recall ever being aware that Moriyama was the architect for Science North but I'm delighted to have this pointed out. We spent many happy hours there with our 3 kids, sometimes on snowy days. This summer Isaac and Rebekah took their two for a lengthy visit and they loved it. Thanks Kathy!
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