Historical photos of creation of Portage and Main art piece discovered

Work is underway to digitize the massive concrete art on display underneath Portage and Main.

With work underway to preserve a massive art piece underneath Portage and Main, a new discovery is shedding light on the mural’s creation.

The 400-foot concrete mural, housed in the underground concourse below the intersection, was crafted by late Canadian artist Bruce Head and titled “The Wall.”

The art piece’s future hung in the balance after the City of Winnipeg announced the potential decommissioning of the concourse. However, Head’s widow, Judy Waytiuk, took matters into her own hands to create a 3D digital copy and ensure “The Wall” lives on through virtual reality.

Jason Shields, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, is leading the project. He said researchers have unearthed several never-before-seen photos from the mural’s creation and intend to incorporate the images into the final product.

“We’ve begun inserting those [images] into the virtual reality recreation,” he said in an interview with CTV News on Tuesday.

“It’s no longer just walking through the concourse; we’re actually offering a whole historical element of it.”

Shields added that with help from New Media Manitoba and Studio Lab xR, the project now has a working VR model that allows people to walk through the entire concourse, though some small changes still need to be made.

He said one of the upcoming goals is to host an exhibition at the U of M for people to see the historical photos and take part in the VR recreation, with a long-term ambition of allowing people to download the VR model.

CTV News has reached out to the city to find out what is planned for the future of the physical mural.

• With files from CTV’s Will Reimer and Katherine Dow