Hufsa Tahir
Staff Writer
Almost a month after it was taken down by York management for “health and sanitary reasons” a new Goddess of Democracy statue may soon see the light of day.
The York University Student Centre (YUSC) has allocated a spot for the new statue—which commemorates the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in China—near the Treats Coffee Emporium located in the Student Centre.
Design plans are currently being developed by Bruce Parsons, fine arts professor at York.
“I’m working on six or seven drawings right now,” Parsons reveals. Once done, he says, the Toronto Association for Democracy in China (TADC) will decide on the best one before a design plan is reviewed and approved by the Student Centre.
The height of the statue, Parsons adds, will depend on cost. Bronze, the preferred material, costs more than alternatives like aluminum. Though there are cheaper and quicker alternatives, he feels they will not be a creative, long-lasting solution.
Cheuk Kwan of the TADC is hoping a bronze statue will be approved.
“The Goddess of Democracy is the most symbolic icon of the Tiananmen Massacre,” he says. “Thus, it must be both prominent and identical to the original, both conditions laid down by the TADC to emphasize the statue’s historical significance. It can’t just be any art piece [or] abstract statue of remembrance.”
Parsons estimates construction may take up to six months.
