 |
 |
| October 25 - November 2, 2008 6-10pm |
| For 2008, the event got under way with a prayer at sundown. |
Read the Vancouver Sun article
October 26 - November 2: The artists attended the shrines throughout the week, with casual evening gatherings from 7-9pm nightly. The celebration hall was open during this time for the creation of personal memorials.
Special events during the week included:
Candy on Halloween Night!!
The Digital Shrine played through the week at the Celebration Hall between 7 and 9pm.
The shrine was created by Corin Kokotailo Browne & Patti Fraser with participants in the Arts, Health, and Seniors Project at Silver Harbour Seniors Centre, North Vancouver : Douglas Bacon, Juergen Bruhns, Una Bruhns, Alice Davies , Ray East, Suzanne Humphreys, Shirl Lytle, John Speers
October 29, 7-9pm
Artist Shaira Holman lead a talk and hands on workshop on the Mexican tradition of Sugar Skull Ofrendas (details below)
November 1st, 7-9pm
A casual evening of music featuring the exciting young quartet Cellosound. Unconventional repertoire. (details)
Public Talks and Workshops
Creating shrines and altars with Marina Szijarto
Talk: Thursday, October 9th 7-9pm
For Artist Marina Szijarto, a shrine or altar can be anything that is set down in a sacred manner that has intention and meaning, upon which then “offerings” can be made. Shrines therefore can range from a special leaf, photograph or rock , to an elaborately built sculpture. Our offerings can be the light of a candle, the sound of a poem, special food, or a written name.
This talk and workshop is for individuals or groups to come together and see examples of traditional and unusual shrines and altars from many traditions and cultures. We invite participants to work on their own shrine that can be included in A Night for All Souls or to set up at home or in a special place.
Workshop: Tuesday, October 14th 7-9pm
A hands on making workshop for people who would like to create memorials for inclusion in the 2008 Night for All Souls memorial event at Mountain View cemetery, or in a personal special place. Participants will bring their own materials, and receive technical help from the artist. * It is requested that people who attend this workshop also attend the talk, October 9, or make prior arrangements with the artist.
Saturday workshops with Lori Weidenhammer
Seed Balls for Sacred Pollinators: October 11th 1-4pm
Seed balls originate from an ancient form of agriculture performed by creating balls of seeds, clay, and compost and sowing them on the surface of the soil. The seeds remain dormant until environmental conditions allow them to germinate and flourish, creating nectar and pollen-rich habitat for pollinators. Many cultures believe that the pollinators have a scared duty to pass messages from people on earth to the spirit world, particularly when a loved one has died. Honeybees, hummingbirds, butterflies and bats have been revered as a link between the living and ancestors who have passed on. In this workshop we will be creating seed balls for flowers that can to be sown in the fall planting cycle. After three days, these seed balls can be planted in personal gardens, or launched into vacant lots and waste lands, where they will generate in the spring and continue the plant's life cycle, creating a living ecological memorial to the friends and family we have lost.
Sacred Honey Bee Prayer Flags: October 18th 1-4pm
Marriage, birth, or burying, /news across the seas,/ all your sad or merrying,/ you must tell the bees. A traditional practice in parts of the UK and Europe, "telling the bees" was an important ritual that respected the sacred role of the bees to pass messages onto the spirit world. Using fabric pastels to draw on cotton squares, we will create prayer flags that tell the bees the sad news of our friends and relatives that have died. As the bees prepare to live through the winter on their stored honey, so must we dig deeply into our reserves of spiritual strength to pass through this time of mourning.
This workshop is suitable for families. (Children under 12 must be accompanied by a caregiver.)
Sugar Skull Ofrendas for the Days of the Dead with Shaira Holman: October 29, 7-9pm
Please Note: due to the popularity of this workshop registration required.
Sugar skulls are traditional Mexican folk art, created in the week before the Days of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos) November 1st and 2nd. Mounds of sugar skulls are sold by vendors in the open air markets. Spirits of the dead are welcomed back into the home with beautifully made altars decorated by their loved ones, with the sugar skulls. It is believed that on the Days of the Dead, it is easier for the souls of the departed to visit the living. Sugar skulls encourage them to visit with us. Families take flowers and sugar skulls to the cemetery and clean and decorate the graves. Sugar skulls are decorated and usually bear the name of the deceased. Calaveras or poems to the dead are made. The event can take on a humourous tone, as celebrants remember funny moments and anecdotes about the departed. The intent is that the souls will hear us.
In this workshop, artist Shaira Holman will talk about how this custom has been incorporated into her own Jewish and Pagan traditions and will provide a hands-on workshop making sugar skulls with you. Be prepared to get sticky! This is a sweet way to remember your loved ones. Sugar skulls are temporary and dissolve back into the earth.
This workshop is suitable for families. (Children under 12 must be accompanied by a caregiver.)
November 1st, 7-9pm
Join us for a casual evening of music featuring the exciting young quartet Cellosound.
Contact Paula Jardine, Artist in Residence | More about Paula
