Video: Removing the Crisp Murals from the Centre Block

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(Text on screen: Public Services and Procurement Canada)

[Shot of the Parliament building.]

[Shot of the House of Commons’ Reading Room with paintings on the wall.]

At the heart of Parliament’s Centre Block, within the House of Commons’ Reading Room, reside some of Canada’s most beautiful examples of early 20th century mural painting.

[Shot of a black and white photo of the original Parliament building.]

[Shot of a black and white photo of the Parliament buildings on fire in 1916.]

[Shot of a black and white photo of the front page of The Citizen newspaper with the title: Parliament Building, Housing Commons and Senate, Destroyed by Fire; Several Lives Lost and Many Thrilling Escapes are Recorded.]

[Shot of a black and white photo of the House of Commons Reading Room.]

[Shot of a photo of Arthur Watkins Crisp.]

(Text on screen: Arthur Watkins Crisp.)

[Scrolling shot of several paintings found in the Reading Room.]

Following a devastating fire in 1916 that destroyed the original Parliament Building, architect John A. Pearson had a vision to rebuild Parliament and design a new Reading Room with an elegant and grand interior. He commissioned Hamilton-born artist Arthur Crisp to paint 17 murals to decorate the space.

[Pan shot, from left to right, of the Reading Room.]

[Shot of two paintings called The Spirit of the Printed Word and The Printed Word.]

The two most prominent murals are located on the north and south walls. They celebrate the printed word and the printing press.

[Shot of the Reading Room set up as a meeting room.]

Although the room is now used for committee meetings and receptions, the artwork is a reflection of the original purpose of the Reading Room.

[Shot of four other paintings from the Reading Room.]

[Shot of a painting called North—Exploration and hunting.]

(Text on screen: North—Exploration and hunting)

[Shot of a painting called South—Agriculture.]

(Text on screen: South—Agriculture)

[Shot of a painting called East—Produce and shipping.]

(Text on screen: East—Produce and shipping)

[Shot of a painting called West—Lumber and logging.]

(Text on screen: West—Lumber and logging)

Four other murals portray Canada’s economic regions in the 1920s. Exploration and hunting in the north. Agriculture in the south. Produce and shipping in the east. Lumber and logging in the west.

[Shot of two smaller paintings representing Manitoba and Alberta.]

[Shot of a smaller painting representing Quebec.]

Smaller murals on the walls consist of decorative trees, plants and birds and also contain provincial and territorial names.

[Shot of one of the walls of paintings in the Reading Room.]

[Pan shot up of a wall of paintings in the Reading Room.]

[Close-up shot of one of the paintings.]

The murals were painted on canvas with the support glued directly to the wall—this technique is known as marouflage.

[Shot of several workers carefully removing a painting from a wall.]

[Close-up shot of two workers carefully removing the bottom of painting from a wall.]

[Close-up shot of a worker carefully working under a painting to remove it from a wall.]

The murals are one hundred years old and never before has there been such an opportunity for conservation. They needed to be carefully removed as to not damage the canvas or paint layers.

[Wide angled shot of the Reading Room with several workers working to remove a painting from a wall.]

[Top down shot of three workers carefully rolling a canvas of a painting on a roll.]

[Shot of a worker taking notes in front of rolled and packaged paintings stored on a rack.]

Now as the Centre Block undergoes major rehabilitation, these murals are being protected and preserved for future generations.

[Shot of three workers slowly rolling a canvas from a wall onto a roller.]

[Shot of three workers slowly lowering a rolled canvas off a wall.]

[Shot of four workers preparing to lift a rolled canvas off a wall.]

A team of Fine Art conservators based out of Ottawa were brought in to perform this delicate work.

[Shot of two workers carrying a rolled canvas down a flight scaffolding stairs.]

[Shot of three workers slowly unrolling a rolled canvas onto a floor.]

[Close-up shot of a worker protecting the surface of a painting with a paintbrush and paper adhesive.]

[Wide angled shot of a worker protecting the surface of a painting with a paintbrush and paper adhesive.]

[Close-up shot of a worker protecting the surface of a painting with a paintbrush and paper adhesive.]

This type of removal had never been attempted, so the team had to assess whether or not it was even possible. Once it was determined the work could be done, they conducted patch tests to identify the types of adhesive used and came up with a method to safely remove them.

[Wide angled shot of the Reading Room with scaffolding.]

[Wide angled shot of the Reading Room with several workers working to remove a painting off a wall.]

Since the murals are quite large, scaffolding was installed to provide access to take down the murals.

[Shot of a worker carefully removing dried glue remains on the backside of a canvas rolled on a tube.]

[Shot of a worker with a flashlight inspecting the surface of canvas on a floor.]

[Shot of four workers wrapping a rolled canvas.]

[Close-up shot of an identification label stuck on a rolled and packaged canvas.]

[Shot of several rolled and packaged canvases in a warehouse.]

[Shot of two workers cleaning the surface of a canvas with soft bristled brushes.]

The removal of the 17 panels took more than a month. The team carefully removed the panels rolled them onto large tubes and wrapped them for protection from temperature and humidity fluctuations.

[Shot of a worker positioning rolled canvases on an electronic rack.]

[Outside shot of a storage warehouse.]

[Shot of two workers transporting a rolled and packaged canvas on a wheeled trolley.]

Experts will now clean and restore the murals and then they will be safely stored at an offsite facility until they are able to return to their home in the Reading Room, following the rehabilitation.

[Shot of the Centennial Flame with the Parliament building in the background.]

[Shot of the House of Commons’ Reading Room with paintings on the wall.]

This important work will ensure that visitors to Parliament Hill and the Centre Block continue to experience these pieces of Canadian history for another century.

(Text on screen: This video was produced in accordance with public health guidelines in place at the time of recording.)

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[Music stops]

(Public Services and Procurement Canada signature)

(Canada Wordmark)

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