The Aluminum Association of Canada is pleased to provide financial support for the NSERC Chair in Design for aluminum from the University of Sherbrooke. The funding will be used to obtain aluminum for the realization of a multidisciplinary project to build a monument shaped cauldron for the Canada Games to be held in Sherbrooke in 2013. In addition, the cauldron will be reused for the next ten Canada Games.In the scope of the NSERC Chair on Design for Aluminum held by Professor Alain Desrochers from Université de Sherbrooke, a team of students from different horizon has been assembled to tackle a unique multidisciplinary project aiming at conceiving and fabricating a cauldron for the Canada Games to be held in Sherbrooke in 2013. Teaming up in the project with their specific competencies are three local secondary and post-secondary institutions: Bishop’s University Department of Fine Arts for the artistic design, Université de Sherbrooke for the engineering and process planning and the Lennoxville Vocational Training Centre (LVTC) for the fabrication and assembly of the monument.Practically speaking, the cauldron will be made of aluminum, a resistant and fully recyclable material of which Canada is one the major producers worldwide. In terms of dimensions, the art piece will be 2,8m tall and 2,0m wide and will be topped by an inverted cupola holding a flame, 0,9m high. From an artistic point of view, the cauldron is inspired by the graphic signature of the Canada Games to which a spatial dimension has been introduced through the addition of maple leaves mounted on hemispherical supports, themselves fixed onto a large C shape. Visually, the red maple leaves and natural aluminum will bring a contrast and a symbol which will not be without recalling the Canadian flag.From a human and organisational perspective, it should be mentioned that in most, more traditional, so-called “multidisciplinary projects”, students involved have typically similar background and vision. Hence, setting up a project with students from different levels (secondary versus post-secondary), languages (French and English) and background (humanities, science and vocational training) is a true paradigm change. Coordination, planning and communication then become paramount for the project to succeed and deliver the art work in a global timeframe established by the client, the Canada Games. Among the hurdles that have been overcome in the project, are the definition and ranking of the cauldron requirements, the recognition and respect of each partner’s role and responsibilities, and, to some extent, the abilities to make compromises for the benefit of the project above all. From this experience, lessons have been learned, but most significantly the spirit of the Canada Games and the collective ownership of the project have inspired people to go beyond the simple requirements of the various courses in which the students had enrolled.Finally, the cauldron will be used for the next ten Canada Games, therefore becoming a legacy and insuring the continuity and the visibility of the symbol it is representing. The realisation of this artwork has been made possible, thanks to the support of the Canada Games Council and the Aluminum Association of Canada.Professor Alain Desrochers, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke

Professor Jim Benson, Department of Fine Arts, Bishop’s University