The design of the Vancouver AIDS Memorial was chosen from over 70 submissions to a public call for designs.

The chosen design consists of a series of steel panels winding through a wooded landscape. The steel material has a muted, natural, rust-oxidized finish. The names of British Columbians who have died of AIDS are cut through the steel panels of the ribbon using a high-pressure water jet process, signifying their absence from our lives.

The ribbon consists of 20 Cor-ten® steel panels, each close to a meter in width. The foundation of the memorial follows the natural grade level of the site, resulting in a height range of 0.75 to 1.5 metres. A passage of poetry by Spanish-American writer George Santayana appears above the names, at the top of the memorial.

After a two-year public consultation, the Vancouver Parks Board approved a site at Sunset Beach West, a short walk east of the Stanley Park seawall, located in the heart of downtown Vancouver.

Though situated in a hub of life and activity, this unique setting provides a sanctuary of quiet reflection. Set in a treed bowl, the graceful lines of the memorial are designed to complement the rustic, tranquil beauty of the grassy, landscaped hillside.

The Artists

The entry submitted by the design team of Bruce Wilson, Susanna Barrett and Marc Tessler was chosen as the winner of the Vancouver AIDS Memorial Competition in July of 1996. A jury selected the winning design from 4 semi-finalists out of 74 submissions from across British Columbia.

Bruce Wilson has been creating award-winning homes, interiors and installations for over a decade. His company, Bruce Wilson Associates, has attracted critical acclaim through its broad range of urbane projects and residential designs on B.C.’s west coast and beyond.

Bruce Wilson studied architecture at California Polytechnic University in Los Angeles and the University of British Columbia. He established his own studios in Vancouver in 1992 and in Victoria in 1996.

His list of projects is varied and includes architecture, residential & commercial interiors, furniture, graphics and packaging. He has one numerous awards in these areas and has been featured in magazines, newspapers, and television.

He is the sole designer in North America to be entrusted to design MAXMARA stores in the Pacific Northwest. His experience in retail and commercial interiors is extensive. The Temple Restaurant in Victoria, designed by Wilson, was voted Top Best Ten New Restaurants in Canada by Enroute Magazine.

Wilson is expanding his design firm, moving toward licensing furniture and house wares and has recently launched a new product, House Plan Kits.