ManitobaA group of students at the University of Manitoba have been working to preserve a piece of art underneath Portage and Main with a virtual rendition that could live on, regardless of what happens to the underground concourse.With suggestions underground concourse could be closed, U of Manitoba students have scanned concrete muralCBC News · Posted: Sep 09, 2025 4:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours agoA group of University of Manitoba students have been working to scan the concrete mural in the concourse beneath Portage and Main, in order to create a virtual reality rendition of the artwork. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)A group of students at the University of Manitoba have been working to preserve a piece of art underneath Portage and Main with a virtual rendition that could live on, regardless of what happens to the concourse beneath the famous intersection.Judy Waytiuk is worried that if the underground concourse is closed, as has been suggested, the massive circular concrete wall sculpture displayed there — designed by her husband, Bruce Head — would be buried, and its legacy destroyed.”Public art is something that is a sacred trust to society,” Waytiuk said.That’s why she was happy to hear about a U of M project using 3D scans of the mural that could preserve it in virtual reality, and even allow it to be recreated.”It is absolutely fantastic that the wall is going to be preserved in virtual reality, so that both the public can access it online whenever they want to and it’s available to universities and academia,” said Waytiuk.The future of the underground concourse that’s home to the mural is currently in question.City staff have recommended keeping the underground concourse open for now, while studies for different options are completed. (CBC)Last year, when the city decided to move ahead with reopening the Portage Avenue and Main Street above-ground crossing to pedestrians, there was the suggestion the concourse, used to cross the intersection underground, could close.A report at the time estimated the city would need to spend approximately $73 million to repair a membrane protecting the concourse.However, city staff have recommended keeping it open while studies for different options are completed.Jason Shields, an associate professor of interior design at the University of Manitoba, has been working with a group of students to preserve the concourse mural digitally, with 28 separate 3D scans of the art that, when stitched together, recreate the mural.Over the summer, the scans were translated to a virtual reality format, and the team is now looking at ways to begin distributing the file.LISTEN | VR project preserves iconic Winnipeg sculpture at Portage and Main: Information Radio – MBVR project preserves iconic Winnipeg sculpture at Portage and MainJudy Waytiuk and professor Jason Shields speak with host Marcy Markusa about preserving Bruce Head’s sculpture, The Wall, through a virtual version amid uncertainty over the Portage and Main concourse.While a VR version of the wall can mimic the original artwork, Shields still hopes the mural itself will be preserved.”VR recreation is just that — it is a recreation. It can’t really create that same emotional resonance that the physical wall itself will,” he said.Waytiuk, who has been working with the U of M students during the project, said while she applauds their work, she’s concerned having a VR copy might take the responsibility over what to do with the mural off the city’s plate.A report released earlier this week pegged the cost of decommissioning the underground concourse at Portage and Main at $11 million. City council’s property and development committee is set to discuss the report on Friday. With files from Marcy Markusa and Santiago Arias Orozco
Virtual reality project preserves concrete mural as future of Portage and Main concourse in question
