"Holding Fast", 2018
City of Calgary Public Art - Fire Headquarters, Calgary AB
Acrylic and gold leaf on wood panel
23' x 17'
A commemorative mural that provides an understanding of the Calgary Fire Department’s history while also reflecting a memorial theme. Images transition from archival photography at the mural’s top to contemporary pictures on the bottom. The central, anchor image depicts a current firefighter reaching up to grasp the mitted hand of a historic firefighter - connecting the old with the new. "Holding Fast" honours the sacrifices made by the CFD while also being forward-looking; the mural serves as a memorial of lives lost but remembered.
To complete the composition, the wall behind the artwork is marked with a stencil pattern inspired by common firefighting symbols: the Maltese Cross, the axe and the pike pole. Nine of the stencils are highlighted with a brass colour to represent the nine Calgary firefighters who have died in the line of duty.
