The Engineering Cairn
“It became tradition for clubs, fraternities, and undergraduate societies to scrawl graffiti on the monument or repaint it in their own colours. Bonfires were built around it. A forklift was used in an attempt to tip it over. Still the cairn remained, with the bronze plaque removed for safe-keeping and a fresh coat of red and white paint applied after every vandalism attempt” (UBC Magazine).
First installed in front of Main Library in 1966, built in stone and mortar, UBC’s Engineering Cairn lasted a mere days before it disappeared. In 1969 a five foot high cairn was built on Main Mall in front of what is now Koerner Library. Development plans caused a need to move the cairn and it was shifted to the current location where it remained for 20 years. In 1988 a group of forestry students totally destroyed the cairn. The current iteration dates to 1989 and was rebuilt in such a manner that nothing short of explosives will dislodge it.
The cairn is an iconic symbol and favoured target of campus graffiti artists.
The cairn is one place on campus where artful vandalism is tolerated. There is even an instagram and twitter account (though neither are particularly up to date) showcasing the hands of many artists. This story features a selection of cairn paintings starting just before the pandemic.
Pandemic Paintings
These two cairn paintings capture the pathos of the pandemic. The first image exhibits some of the pot-banging optimism: ‘all in this together we’ll see it through quickly and return to normal.’ By the end of 2022 the ‘all in this together’ sentiments were exhausted. The wry appreciation that it ‘wasn’t real fun’ nicely captures the mood we may still be in.
Winter Scenes
The twinkle lights, first strung during former President Santa Ono’s term, nicely highlight early morning photos. Add snow and any paint job jumps out.
Curiosities
When the cairn gets shroud in a veil it often implies the message below is not suitable for public viewing. One pro-vegan paint job resulted in near immediate veiling followed by a plant ops team with industrial spray paint guns. When asked to reveal the slogan the painter merely blushed and mumbled incomprehensibly.
The cosmic swirl paint job was the work of UBC Astronomy Club. I have no clue what the July, 2019 ‘find Wallace’ paint job was about.
First Nations
Late 2019 and early 2020 witnessed a series of on campus support actions highlighting Wet’suwet’en land defenders. A group of students even occupied MLA David Eby’s constituency office. The police were called and students were arrested.
In May 2021 a story, familiar within Indigenous circles, brook into the mainstream media: about 215 unmarked potential graves were identified on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School (IRS). Among other things this led to UBC revoking the honourary degree granted several decades ago to a Catholic Bishop who had once been the principle of the school.
The cairn has been painted several times to honour lost children and to stand against the history of cultural genocide Indian Residential Schools were part of.
Climate and Food Security
Extinction Rebellion and anti-climate change protests drew a lot of attention on campus in 2019. A widely supported coalition of student climate activists lobbied UBC’s President and Board of Governors leading UBC to declare a climate emergency, create a special climate action committee of the board, and commit to divesting from the fossil fuel sector.
As the pandemic wore on food security became highlighted as a critical issue. The Acadia Food Hub (written about previously) emerged out of an awareness of student needs on campus.
Ukraine
Following the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 the cairn was painted yellow and blue. One year later, the cairn was again painted yellow and blue in support of the people of Ukraine’s right to independence free of aggression.
Diversity and Inclusion
1970’s era ‘identity politics’ have morphed into 21st century intersectional analysis. The outcome is painted on the cairn in an array of colours, slogan, and images.
Back to the Start
At the end of the day the Engineering Undergraduate Society paint crew comes out and repaints the cairn white and red.