Stanley Park Environmental Art - Semi-permanent Works

Davide Pan & T'Uy'Tanat Cease Wyss

John Hemsworth, Peter von Tiesenhausen • Davide Pan, T'Uy'Tanat Cease Wyss • Shirley Wiebe • Tania Willard

K'Ayacht'n! (We Hold Our Hands Up To You!)

		T'Uy'Tanat Cease engraves Coast Salish words into the bark
Davide shaping one of the sculptures	Cease inserts organic wool into one of the carvings

Click thumbnails for full-size images. Photos: Paul Colangelo.

Artists' Statement:
This work honours the land and all that it provides. Huy Chexw A, Siyam and Siya! We have taken materials from throughout the island and we hold our hands up, we honour what the earth has to share with us!

The Skwxwu7mesh Snichem language has existed in this land for time immemorial, and is not spoken as regularly as it was pre-contact. The indigenous plant life we chose for the works have been, and continue to be, used by the local Indigenous people from this land. Placing the language on the works, as well as using the plants, draws attention to the language, and is an honouring of both the language and the plant life, which, through urbanization are both at risk of disappearing from the land.

The culturally modified trees, or CMT's as they are referred to in forestry terminology, are present throughout the park, but are not always understood or recognized by visitors. We wanted to draw attention to this important cultural aspect that in itself, is an ephemeral art form. The gathering of cedar bark is something that has to happen when the tree is alive, so the bark is supple and pliable. This gathering has been a practice that is recognized by many coastal peoples. We wanted to honour that presence in this landscape, and to bring attention to it so that people understand the cultural significance and respect it.

Huy Chexw A!

Read the ecological response provided by Robyn Worcester, Conservation Manager at SPES for K'Ayatch'n

As part of our ongoing documentation of this project, photos of the artworks are being taken at different times of the year to capture the changes being brought upon by the works by the flora and fauna of the park, as well as the weather. Click here to view images of K'Ayatch'n taken over time .