How the Great Lawn would change under Lansdowne 2.0

Whether summer or winter, the Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park is always in use. In colder months, it's an attraction for tobogganing and snowman-making. In the summer, it is transformed into seating for music festivals like City Folk. 

But a large portion of that public greenspace – 58,000 square feet – would be removed if Lansdowne 2.0 passes at council. 

Trees planted a little over a decade ago would be removed, and a large section would be used for the new hockey arena, which would feature windows looking out to the football field. 

That is concerning news to the organizers of City Folk music festival, who have told the Ottawa Citizen the festival may need to move if there is a lack of space; it's already suspected they will be searching for a temporary new home in 2026 when construction machinery comes in to break ground.

So where would the folk festival be held instead? LeBreton Flats seems like the most obvious option, as it's already home to other music festivals like Bluesfest and the Latin Sparks Festival.

But another change would be the large public art installation that greets visitors to the Great Lawn, as the City has indicated it has plans to decommission the 10 metre by 15 metre “Moving Surfaces” LED light display, citing a lack of budget and broken parts.

When creator Jill Anholt heard that news, she was stunned the city was looking to get rid of the $4 million art installation she was paid to create only 11 years prior.

Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard has put forward a motion to have the city work with Anholt to revitalize the piece. Its limit is set at $25,000.

“LEDs have a lifespan of about 50,000 hours. So after 10 years, they need to be replaced,” Anholt told the Ottawa Lookout. “The same would happen to an LED street light, an LED screen, or anything.”

“I feel that Moving Surfaces is a huge cultural asset that's for the public and requires no ticket to see it. It is part of the site's history and legacy – and that was the whole idea behind the work.”

Meanwhile, the City has allocated $2 million for a new art commission that would accompany Lansdowne 2.0. Anholt said her piece could easily be restored for a fraction of that cost. 

The city contacted an independent lighting consultant to ask how much money would be required to have it working again and they were told $700,000. But Anholt was never consulted and said she previously asked them if she could do a proposal, but was refused. 

“This is one of the largest public artworks in Canada. It has a chance to be renewed and integrated with new content so that it could be exciting for decades to come,” said Anholt.

The installation is programmable and aims to support other artists by showcasing their work on the LED screens, said Anholt.

The Vancouver-based artist criticized the city back in 2017 when it temporarily removed the stainless steel structure from the berm to create room for more Grey Cup Game seating. When that happened, she was sent pictures with all the elements thrown in a pile on the site. 

The city allowed Anholt to come down and ensure it was repositioned properly when reinstalled, but she said she believes that resulted in some permanent damage. Two years later, it suffered lighting and software failure which cost $119,000 to fix. 

If Lansdowne 2.0 passes, Anholt said it creates an opportunity for the art installation to be moved to a location where the mechanical equipment could last longer. Much of it is currently buried underground, but if it were to be located near the new arena with its mechanisms inside, she thinks it would last longer.