Sleeker Speaker's Corner still retains memories of old one
Mathew McCarthy, Record staff

KITCHENER- With sleek granite, polished benches and modern light standards, the newly unveiled Speaker's Corner bears little resemblance to its previous incarnation.

But looking closer at the square's centrepiece - a shining, stainless steel cylinder - the memory of the old becomes apparent in the new.

"I think, very simply, we often forget our history," said the man behind the work, artist Allan Harding MacKay. "It was really a way of relocating the memory."

The redesigned Speaker's Corner, located at the intersection of King and Benton streets, was unveiled Friday at a ceremony that formally marked the end of the first phase of the King Street redevelopment.

The project started last spring and is projected to cost just under $10 million when it's finished.

"The reaction we've heard so far have been nothing but positive," said city planner Cory Bluhm.

"I think what we didn't sense prior to starting this project is there really is a sense of optimism and a sense that King Street really can be a special place for our community."

The idea behind the project was to transform the city's main thoroughfare into a sleek, environmentally conscious, urban centre with more places for pedestrians and little reminder of the hard times that have challenged the core.

The first phase included the section of King stretching from Benton up to city hall. New planters, improved and modern-looking street lights and wider sidewalks are the signatures of the newly reinvented downtown.

The idea behind the Speakers Corner renovation was to open up a more viable space for the community, said Bluhm.

"We wanted to make sure it is conducive to public events," he said. "We wanted to give it a new civic function and still keep with the notion of what Speaker's Corner was."

That notion is summed up in the new focal points of the square - the three part installation that blends the corner's soapbox heritage with its new, sleek facelift.

The work, titled Relocation and Transformation of Memory, is made up of three separate pieces in the square, including the centre sculpture. The piece features and anamorphic image ­ one that appears distorted unless viewed from a specific perspective.

When a viewer stands on the tiles at the base of the work and looks into the mirrored piece, they can see a photograph of the old square reflected back from a skewed image printed on the tiles.

Physics professor Jim Hunt of Guelph worked with MacKay to develop the anamorphic aspect of the piece.

The piece drew a flock of curious onlookers Friday. Most stared for a few moments before cracking a smile when they discovered the reflection of the ghost of the old Speaker's Corner.

"It's so cool," said Ashley Hamilton, who pulled over to check out what was happening in the square after she saw the crowd gathered. "I think it's a great idea. It's really beautiful."