Cedar

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Artists

John Hemsworth & Peter von Tiesenhausen

John Hemsworth & Peter von Tiesenhausen - Cedar

By City of Vancouver

 

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Artists' statement

We felt that this was a time to familiarize ourselves with the site. Not just the geography or topography or the plant and creature life, but the essence and feeling of it – it's time and spirit. The best way we felt to achieve that was to be actively in it, let it run through our fingers, and feel it, lift it, carry it and place each handful with considered intent. In the end the place is considered instead of being an offhand gesture or an imposition from outside. Our consideration of that site was the most evident right after it was completed but if it is successful will become less and less so over the coming seasons.

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Xapayay'/Cedar

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Artists

Davide Pan & T'Uy'Tanat Cease Wyss

Untitled

By City of Vancouver

 

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Artists' statements

Chewx Ma Hal7h! Siyam, Siya! T'Uy'Tanat, Kwi En Snas! Cease Wyss, Ni7amin! Greetings Important People Chewx Ma Hal7h, Ta'a's!Xapayay! Ptakwm! T'aka7ay! Skw'eʼ kwech'! Greetings Grandmothers! Cedar! Ferns! Salal Berry! Huckleberry! This work represents so much that is dear to my spirit, mind and blood. This land has not heard our language being spoken here for several decades, other than the rare moments where those who still retain the language come and speak it. To walk this land, this site, and to share the language as I learn it, through the guidance of our Young People who have been gifted with growing up with their Elders, has been an amazing part of my journey further into my culture. Through the plants and the language, I am learning to walk with more humility and with grace. My relationship with our songs and stories has become a deeper and more meaningful part of my on-going relationship with this place, and with the many village and gathering sites I encounter on my journey through Xway Xway to Kanaka Ranch. K'Ayatcht'N! I hold my hands up to you, plant spirits! - T'Uy'Tanat Cease Wyss

The great value of simplicity has been brought to the altar in this collaborative experience: Working with basic tools and the power and strength of nature to emphasize the importance of language and culture. Working with Cease has been, and will continue to be, a learning experience. Learning about the past and present of this land and trying to understand and evaluate our place in it. It is a privilege to work on this project in the jewel that is Stanley Park. - Davide Pan

Ecological response provided by Jarrid Jenkins, Public Programs Manager at SPES

Concerns from our perspective:

1. Any transplanted plants should come from close by, but should not come out of the nearby blowdown area because they are the next generation becoming established in that area.
2. If possible, transplanted plants should come from areas of high density of that species so that there is less impact. Any removed plants will ultimately leave disturbed soil–a potential site for invasive plants to take hold. It would be great if we could negate this even by shuffling some fallen leaves over the disturbed areas and make sure there's no blackberries lying around that might get shuffled in with the mess. They've been causing a lot of problems for us in the restoration areas with seedlings everywhere.
3. Cutting the bark will not have any significant damage, except the increased rate of decay, which would be minor. It will be interesting to see how the carvings provide micro-habitats for mosses etc.
4. Cutting the bark may have implications socially, as it may encourage others to do the same on other stumps or living trees. Part of this will be negated by the safety vests, part by the obvious artistic attributes of the site when completed.
5. Any soil or rotting wood should be thoughtfully removed to cause as little of an impact as possible to the area.
6. Rotting wood should only be removed from the forest floor after carefully checking if it is the 'roof' of a small mammal burrow, or the home for a salamander. Dry, less-decayed pieces would be better than wet, rotted ones that may contain eggs etc.
7. The benefit of this project will be that the stump will get a jump start at being a nurse platform which it ultimately would become one day. We look forward to seeing what happens with the woven portions as they age, especially to see what colonizes those sections.
8. It will be interesting to see if there are any inquiries into what the carved words mean from people who stumble over the piece.
9. You should prepare yourselves for the questions, comments, concerns and potential scoldings you'll receive from people concerned or interested in what you are doing. These interactions themselves might provide some very interesting insights into different people's values with regards to the park, the trees, the wildlife, the cultural perceptions and histories etc. We'd be interested in hearing about any notable conversations.

It seems to us like this project is itself very sound. Our main concerns are obviously more so about public perceptions of digging, carving in the park and of the origin and procurement of the plants you hope to use.

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Uprooted, Fringe, Hibernators

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Artist

Shirley Wiebe

Uprooted, Fringe, Hibernators

By City of Vancouver

 

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Artist's statement – Uprooted

Devastating storms that dramatically altered the landscape in 2006 led to the creation of an art residency opportunity hence this first work is an expression of gratitude to the park and all of its living systems. I was drawn to explore off trail above Lost Lagoon where the damage is radically evident. There are a number of uprooted cedar trees, their massive root wads exposed. The area appears startlingly primordial and reveals a savage chaos both unsettling and magnificent.

One root wad in particular attracted me. Overhanging flaps of moss-covered earth had formed a niche-like space and at its base was a pool of vivid green water. The surrounding area was covered with fallen branches made up of intricately delicate twigs, probably the outermost tips of the uprooted trees. I was captivated by the contrast between these branches and the fiercely severed root wads; the light skeletal airiness opposite the dense masses of darkness, all part of a whole.

Searching for a means to pile up the branches, I recalled the metal spike system for collecting phone messages on pieces of paper, and I felt pertinence to the association of these branches as messages. I embedded a long straight bough vertically in the pool of water and then randomly stacked the braches over top to build up a slender form that occupies the niche like a shrine. This simple gesture brings together the extremities that previously formed a mature living entity. It was a surprise to step back and see how the curved branches and the space between them somehow creates a sense of whirling motion and energy. I was reminded that all matter contributes to new life and growth, and that creation and destruction are part of a continuum that is constantly at play.

A sudden and strange weather system passed over while I worked. What began as a gentle rain turned into an intense downpour, first followed by hail and then a blizzard of snow. Disoriented by the whiteness, I completely lost my way back to the trail. Although it was miserably uncomfortable it was also thrilling to briefly experience this lack of knowing where I was or how to return anywhere.

Ecological response provided by Robyn Worcester of SPES

Because there are few areas where root wads were not tipped up, these are now a very valuable resource for wildlife and we should do all we can not to disturb them.

If this site is used and work will proceed near a root wad, perhaps a sheet of plywood covering the soil where she will be working (and walking back and forth) would protect the soil from too much disturbance. It should be removed when she is not working.

If the root wad itself is manipulated, Shirley should bear in mind that she is making it unsuitable as a winter wren nesting site. Also, if the mineral soil (hanging in the root wad) is disturbed or removed it will reduce the colonization of specialized plants such as goblins gold moss, licorice fern and fungi.

If she is removing woody debris, rocks or other materials from the forest floor, she is reducing the habitat that is utilized by small wildlife. Wood and other materials should only be removed/moved from areas where they are plentiful.

Artist's statement – Fringe

My creative process is fuelled by a curiosity to explore and discover what is around me, in a seemingly meandering search. Ideas begin to form through conversation with others, research, interaction with the land and an investigation of materials.

Much of my recent work incorporates synthetic or manufactured materials juxtaposed with nature. The Stanley Park art residency presents a challenge for me to make use of solely natural and/or biodegradable matter. As a way to still bring about contrast, I chose an architectural site rather than a purely idyllic setting for Fringe. The stonework bridge at the entrance to Ravine Trail had long been obscured with ivy until about five years ago when park staff decided to remove the heavy vines. The stateliness of its design struck me, especially as it comes into view through the forest. Light from the inlet imbues it with a mysterious glow and presence. The bridge shelters Beaver Lake Creek, a passageway used by fish, wildlife, and humans, so it functions both as roadway and underpass. It is the underside that I am drawn to for this ephemeral installation.

My concept for the residency is to explore the social and physical relationships that take place in this forest within a city, and how they continue to shape the park. Horses have had a role in Stanley Park throughout its history, and before this land was named. Horse-drawn tours continue to offer visitors a more leisurely tour of the park, and the Vancouver Police Department patrols the trails on horseback to keep the park safe. In conversation with groomers at the park stables, I learned that birds regularly perch on the backs of horses to pluck hair for lining their nests. I became intrigued with the idea of utilizing a material that could be appropriated by other species.

Horses embody a power that is harnessed through cooperation rather than domination. The preference to work with horsehair is based on its tactile and symbolic qualities. I work from a premise that materials are laden with meaning, but like in dreams, association is embedded within layers of personal experience. Long white hair may possibly conjure up wizards, mythology, white knights and fairy tales – and the rusticated bridge, a medieval castle. The dangling forms appear as natural phenomenon; icicle-shaped stalactites that hang from the roof of a cavern, formed from the dripping of mineral-rich water.

A friend mentioned Jean Barman's book Stanley Park's Secret: The Forgotten Families of Whoi Whoi, Kanaka Ranch and Brockton Point when we talked about the potency of place in the memories and stories held. Barman's book contains references and drawings of Burrard Inlet and two aboriginal settlements that existed there for generations prior to the late 18th century. Beaver Lake Creek falls roughly between these shoreline villages once known as Whoi Whoi and Chaythoos.

Fringe is outspread and apron like in construction – a garment of protection by definition.

 Fringe disappeared sometime in late January 2009. Created as an ephemeral work, the horsehair was placed in the landscape as an organic material that could be scavenged by bats and birds and observed over time as it deteriorated. In a park heavily impacted by people, the process was disrupted when Fringe was physically removed. The cotton ties were cleanly cut, perhaps an indication that the work is now fulfilling an alternative purpose elsewhere.

Ecological response provided by Robyn Worcester of SPES

The ephemeral work you are describing would not have a big negative impact ecologically, and I think that aside from birds being able to use the hair for nesting material, there are not many significant positive impacts that I can think of.

The only negative ecological impacts I can foresee is that Ravine Trail is likely used by bats and birds as a travel corridor (from Beaver Lake to the seashore), and if the horse hair is blocking the entrance to the underpass they may feel restricted by it. From your description, it seems like this might be the case as it is eight feet wide. Also, since this riparian corridor is one of the most ecologically sensitive areas of the Park, I would like to see that there is as little disturbance done to the surrounding environment as possible during the installation.

This sounds like a very interesting art installation and I am grateful for being allowed input on this project.

Artist's statement – Hibernators

I was in search of a site for an envisioned series of soft sculptures when I first became aware of the bear pit during a survey walk. The enclosed concrete environment was formerly part of the Stanley Park Zoo until it closed in the mid 1990s. An adjoining building has been converted into a demonstration salmon spawning hatchery that is managed by the Vancouver Aquarium. Situated in the middle of the park, the pit now appears utterly dilapidated and in sharp contrast to the meticulously landscaped surroundings. Nature is already reclaiming the area – vines claw their way up from the moat below while a massive yew tree extends its branches overhead, and various root systems determinedly penetrate the barricading concrete wall.

Earlier in the summer I had discovered a material called BioNet that is being used as part of the massive Prospect Point reconstruction. I learned that BioNet is the trademarked name for a biodegradable erosion control blanket made up of shredded coconut fibres stitched with jute. After some experimentation, I worked with a sewing process to create various amorphous shapes that I stuffed with wood chips from the park. The forms, entitled Hibernators, are quite malleable and capable of assuming lifelike and emotive postures.

I had observed that park visitors still pause to lean against the bear pit railing hopeful of something to see. In a parallel process to the restoration of Stanley Park, Hibernators is intended to revitalize the zoo through an intervention that draws attention to its potential as a viewing stage or theatre. A transition between what was there and the future. The forms interact with each other and the site in a drama that is subject to the viewer's interpretation.

This installation is a result of collaboration with various individuals from the Parks Board, the Stanley Park Ecology Society, the Vancouver Aquarium, and a private contractor from the construction site who originally donated the BioNet. Each phase was facilitated with hands on assistance, from the delivery of wood chips that arrived at the art studio in the park, to the individuals who helped carry the forms into the pit. For me, the finished work is akin to the period at the end of a sentence.

The bear is one of the last true symbols of the primal, natural world, and many ecologists believe that how humans respond and protect their lands and their future will be the most honest depiction of how serious we are about preservation of our environment and the natural resources within it.

Ecological response provided by Jarrid Jenkins, Public Programs Manager at SPES

It doesn't appear to us that there would be any negative ecological implications for the materials you have chosen in the site you have identified. One caution on our part is to make sure that you do not end up using any BioNet material that comes pre-seeded with any seed mixes that could take root and introduce new plants to the park. It will be interesting to see what kind of life (plant and wild) that takes advantage of the new habitat you'll be creating in an almost barren environment. We're wondering how the materials might be useful to animals looking for nesting materials as well—similar to your Fringe piece.

And as I shared with you on our walk when locating the site: the opportunity to contrast "natural" materials with that concrete space is very exciting, especially on the grand scale you have illustrated in your proposal. The "local" organic forms on display will contrast nicely with the imported wildlife that were originally housed in the enclosure.

So, to conclude, we have little concern ecologically about the impact of this piece because of its location other than ensuring that the BioNet doesn't come pre-seeded.

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Birth

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Artist

Tania Willard

Birth

By City of Vancouver

 

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Artist's statement

Influenced and inspired by branching structures and the symbiotic relationships expressed in structures and organs like roots, rivers, arteries, and the placenta, this piece explores these associations and how they link to culture, community, land and life.

Drawn to areas of the park I hadn't yet explored, I started down Cathedral Trail and was immediately struck by the amazing root systems overturned during the storm. Looking at the root systems, I was struck by how they resembled the branching of vessels in a placenta and how they themselves are organs facilitating many of the same functions for life as the womb and umbilicus. My partner and I had just had our first son, Skyelar, and when I looked at this root system I felt it as if it was a part of me; I felt the land through to my core.

In Indigenous concepts of land, language, storytelling and culture are all closely intertwined with the land itself. As a person of mixed Aboriginal (Secwepemc Nation) and non-Aboriginal heritage, I am also very aware of Vancouver and Stanley Park as the unceded territory of Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish peoples. I wanted to relate to this land and to give thanks for all the beauty that I have enjoyed here in the traditional home of the Coast Salish peoples. There are so many stories in this land, Aboriginal stories before this land had English names, animal stories, stories of change, of upheaval and stories of birth and survival out of that upheaval; stories of transformation.

In learning more about the park in the initial orientation with Park Board staff and Stanley Park Ecology Society input, I was amazed to learn about the hidden parts of forest ecosystems like mycorrhizal fungi and how this fungal organism connects the whole forest and cycles nutrients between plant species and more. This vast network under the surface of the earth is like the blood vessels of the forest. Having recently experienced pregnancy, I was moved to think of how connected we all are through these types of symbiotic relationships all around us. Indeed, in contrast to ideas of "survival of the fittest" and life as competition, there is a weaving of symbiotic relationships through every part of our world from mother and child down to micro-organisms in the earth.

For this piece I worked with a large, upturned rootball with an exposed root system. I stripped a layer of bark off of the root system to create a higher contrast and emphasis on the roots. Although the tree and root system are dead, the rootball itself has created new habitat. While working with it, I was awed by the new roots shooting through the soil on the underside of the rootball. Life is sprouting all over, stimulated by the devastation of the windstorms, ferns grow around the base of the rootball as well as patches of growth in the soil that is still held together by the roots. Suspended vertically like a wall, creating this view of the forest we do not normally get to see.

We are exposed to the mystery of life here. We are all connected to the land in some way or another.

Ecological response provided by Jarrid Jenkins, Public Programs Manager at SPES

Tania Willard had originally proposed to paint a stump near Siwash Rock with red ochre:

I am proposing to paint the vertical area of the stump with red ochre mixed with a natural carrier oil ( fish oil, olive oil, or if that is too much of an impact, I can use water). On the surface of the ochre I want to paint a design from the petroglyph rock with beeswax. This will allow the image to be mostly invisible at first but appear after rain when the background ochre is washed away. The ochre capped with the beeswax stays for a longer time, then this layer will fade as well. The rain, such an essential part of a West Coast forest, is a part of this piece as it will reveal another layer of the work in time.

Jarrid Jenkin's response below is based on that original proposal. When the stump Tania had chosen turned out to be culturally modified (cedar bark had been harvested from the tree at some point, most likely by First Nations people), the stump could no longer be used for the art project. Tania then found the rootball on Cathedral Trail that became Birth. Below is the conversation that took place between Jarrid Jenkins, Tania Willard, and Anna Nobile, Community Arts Programmer for the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.

Hello Tania,

With regards to the piece you've proposed:

This sounds like a nice progression from your earlier questions about materials and potential impacts on the ecology of the tree. We are still fine with the combination of ochre and beeswax painted on the exposed surface of tree you have identified. The materials themselves aren't worrisome and again we'd like to comment on how interesting it will be to see if any animals, insects, birds etc. make use of the beeswax in any way. The only concern we would have about the beeswax surface treatment is about the amount of surface area being covered— if the whole thing is covered then that limits the access by insects and/or other animals that would otherwise take advantage of the exposed surface of the tree. It sounds like you are not planning on covering the whole area so this shouldn't be too big of a concern.

Another concern we wanted to mention was with regards to treating the same large surface area with an oil that might end up as rancid or attracting animals to the site. We're really just raising these points more out of curiosity than anything as there is no "related study" that might warn us about the impact an oiled surface might have on the local ecology. We think it will somehow affect wood-boring insects and possibly birds (woodpeckers, etc.) but mostly with regards to access versus a health risk, although I guess we can't say for sure that there would be no health risk, especially if the oil does become rancid. On the other hand, perhaps the oil would be fine as we head into cooler weather, and more than likely its high calorie content will be attractive to some insects. Another interesting consideration.

One last concern: Is the stump close to the trail? We can't tell from the photo but it would be awesome if the public had a chance to view it. I'm sure it is but we couldn't tell from the photos.

Cheers,
Jarrid Jenkins
Public Programs Manager

Tania Willard, in response to concerns:

1. I am not intending to cover a very large area at all with the wax, just one or two designs and only solid lines maybe an inch think, no real filled in areas.
2. In terms of oil: yes I wasn't sure about the oil but I can also use water. I thought using salmon oil would be interesting to see what happens to it and also this is sort of historically what ochre was combined with for pictographs, but I am fine to use water really, it will speed up the washing away process, I think.
3. The stump is very close to the trail and it is in that clearing area. Its totally observable, its right there.

It is at this point that the stump was identified by Brian Quinn, Supervisor of Stanley Park, as culturally modified. He notified Anna Nobile, who spoke to Tania by telephone. Tania then proposed the same treatment for a rootball on Cathedral Trail.

After conversations with Brian Quinn, Guy Pottinger (Acting Foreman, Stanley Park) and Jarrid Jenkins, Anna sent Tania this email:

The ground around Cathedral Trail is wetter and muckier than the higher ground you had previously chosen around Siwash, so there will be more impact to the soil as you walk around and compact the ground. You may be asked to lay down boards to walk on. Working on a ladder in this type of soil will be difficult, maybe even a little dangerous if the ground isn't level and the ladder has to be balanced on a board. You will definitely need someone to help you, especially to steady the ladder. There will be more impact to the soil, plants and animals/insects of the rootball, even if you scrape away/disturb the soil of the rootball as little as possible. The ochre would have to be mixed with water in this case, not oil, as oil will have a greater impact. Its unclear how close to the trail the rootball is. There has been some stated concern that if the rootball is too far off trail, the art piece would encourage people to walk through this environmentally sensitive area to get a closer look. It's hard for us to tell from the photos, so I'm hoping the rootball is close to the trail.

Tania responded:

[The rootball] is right beside the trail, not off trail at all. I don't think I would need to use the ladder as I can reach most of the area I need to work on. Laying down boards is fine. It is a very short distance— like four feet or less between the trail and rootball. I would only be cleaning the dirt away from the very top surface of the root ball which is mostly clean of dirt anyway, I just want to make it a bit clearer so the ochre will show up, depending on the colour/texture maybe I won't even need to strip it. Maybe I can just clean and paint with ochre.

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Listen

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Artists

John Hemsworth & Peter von Tiesenhausen

Listen

By City of Vancouver

 

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• July 2009

• September 2009

• View more images on Flickr

  By City of Vancouver

Artists' statement

Listen is not necessarily about the sounds of this place but rather about taking the time to hear what the forest has to offer. This sculpture, carved from cedar remnants of the wind storm of 2006, is meant as a place of reflection - an opportunity to find a silence between ourselves and our environment. As the gap in the ancient fallen cedar informed what this space required, so too may we all listen more closely to the world around us.

Ecological response provided by Robyn Worcester of SPES

This semi-permanent work is beneficial to the forest because it has added course woody debris (in the form of the cedar orb) back onto the forest floor. A large piece of fallen cedar tree was removed and so that biomass was lost as a part of the ecosystem. Because of natural chemicals in the wood, western red cedar trees can remain on the forest floor for up to 600 years before completely decomposing. The orb of cedar used to replace the missing chunk of tree has created new habitat.

This artwork will gradually decompose with the help of the elements and organisms such as insects, bacteria and fungus. The wood will initially act as a platform on which new plants may take hold and can create a protective home for organisms living in the moist soil.

Over time as the sphere breaks down it will form a porous, moist microhabitat which will provide shelter for larger animals and a growth substrate for colonizing plants. It may serve as a territorial calling platform for songbirds, as escape cover for small mammals or as a breeding site for a terrestrial salamander.

Since the artists created this work off-site and then brought it to its current location, there was minimal soil compaction or vegetation trampling during its installation.

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K'ayacht'n! (We hold our hands up to you!)

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Artists

Davide Pan & T'Uy'Tanat Cease Wyss

K'Ayacht'N!

By City of Vancouver

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• July 2009

• July 2010

• View more images on Flickr

  By City of Vancouver

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!

Ecological response provided by Robyn Worcester, Conservation Manager at SPES

This semi-permanent artwork will benefit the park in two ways. Firstly, it changed the course woody debris (in the form of stumps) on the site, but the wood will still benefit the plants and animals. Carving the stumps has slightly sped up the natural decomposition process. These stumps will gradually decompose with the help of the elements and organisms such as insects, bacteria and fungus, and the carving has given the process a head start.

The stumps will likely remain standing for 50 years, and as they break down they will form moist microhabitat which will provide shelter for larger animals and a growth substrate for colonizing plants. They may serve as territorial calling platforms for songbirds, as escape cover for small mammals or as breeding sites for terrestrial salamanders. Secondly, by adding native plants to the stumps, the artists have further sped up the process of natural succession.

Normally it would take many more years for plants to be able to colonize these relatively young stumps, but the artists have given them a head start. The plants will provide food and habitat for animals and may help the re-vegetation of the damaged site by spreading spores and seeds.

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Cozy

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Artist

Shirley Wiebe

Cozy

By City of Vancouver

 

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• July 2009

• July 2010

• February 2011

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  By City of Vancouver

Artist's statement

Gardening practices in Stanley Park initially inspired the form of Cozy. Gunnera (giant rhubarb) plants are cut back in the fall, their massive leaves placed over the crowns to protect them through the winter. By spring the leaves wither down to a silvery and paper-thin snugly airtight cover.

Cozy acts as a protective cover for a severed douglas fir stump that was taken down by severe windstorms in 2006. The laced together maple medallions have been compared to scale or chainmail armour, intended to protect against being cut. The work addresses the importance of mature trees in the forest as it physically and symbolically shelters what remains of this tree. It is a nurturing gesture that acknowledges the care and attention our environment needs in order to continue looking after us. As the cozy covering decays, it will provide habitat in the forest for small mammals and other organisms living in the forest.

Stanley Park is in the heart of the city. In this urban forest one can also sense the sacredness and history that emanates from the land, regardless of human management. Cozy explores the social and physical relationships that take place in the forest and in the city, and how they shape the park. Each medallion has been engraved with the hopes, concerns, joys, and philosophies of many individuals who participated in the project. These contributions add life to a site that is already regenerating with wild flowers.

Ecological response provided by Robyn Worcester, Conservation Manager at SPES

Cozy has provided a blanket of wood to an existing stump. This addition of course woody debris to the forest is helpful in many ways. As the artwork gradually decomposes with the help of the elements and organisms such as insects, bacteria and fungus, the wood will begin to serve as vital habitat for many species. Because the cozy will rot faster than the stump below it, it will create a unique substrate on which new plants can colonize and will provide homes for small organisms such as wood bugs, slugs, and ants.

Over time, as the cozy and stump break down, they will form a rich, moist microhabitat which will provide shelter for larger animals. It may serve as a territorial calling platform for songbirds, as escape cover for small mammals or as a breeding site for terrestrial salamanders. The hemp fibers used to tie the cookies together may also serve as nesting material for birds. Many species of birds line the inside of their nests with soft materials to protect their young.

Since the artist chose a stump that was away from the trail, a small, temporary wood chip path was laid down. This path will prevent soil erosion and vegetation trampling while the artwork is intact and then will gradually decompose and disappear over time.

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Entwined

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Artist

Tania Willard

Entwined

By City of Vancouver

 

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• July 2009

• July 2010

• View more images on Flickr

  By City of Vancouver

Artist's statement

This piece explores the interconnectedness of Stanley Park's ecology and how the different uses, experiences and perspectives of both indigenous and non-indigenous people, plants and materials are interwoven. Referencing native plant and material usage in the plaiting of cedar and in the dyes created from hemlock and red alder barks, as well as the oyster shell buttons, this work is a meditation on the cedar as a tree of life and asks this cedar to share its story.

Narrative, history and experience become a part of the narrative ecology in this work, indigenous place and history, colonial injustice, settler naming and place, urban migration, immigration, this land has known many stories. This work becomes an offering, an offering to the land, to this cedar and a giving of thanks, recognizing of Coast Salish territory and honouring this land that has become home.

Working in Stanley Park I was influenced by the many layers of history here, those stories that are embedded into the land. In Entwined, the use of materials — for example the oyster shell buttons — reference events like the unearthing of the shell midden in 1888 at Whoi Whoi (Lumberman's Arch). The midden was unearthed and used in a mix with concrete to pave parkways. The midden was very large and thought to have been used for millennia, indeed this place is a special place for Coast Salish people. The digging and repurposing of the midden speaks volumes not only to this specific example of literally paving over of Aboriginal histories but to the state of Aboriginal injustice in Canada.

The ephemeral work, Birth was about exposing an interconnectedness of everything around us including ourselves to Creation and Life. Entwined is an effort to balance, to nurture and to heal. Positioning the work high in a cedar tree allows us to relate not only to a human scale but to a forest scale, where the Land is not subservient to us, the Land is us. Using materials from the park like cedar bark and red alder and hemlock barks, for dyeing the wool, allowed me to get closer to the land in Stanley Park.

The use of other introduced natural materials like wool and madder reference how natural materials are absorbed and assimilated into indigenous and other cultures as opposed to stereotypes that suggest Aboriginal people would do anything for things like iron and guns etc. The use of wool suggests West Coast Cowichan knits for the many generations of people, native and non-native, who worked the waters in fishing, canning or longshoring, with similar properties to cedar in terms of it's resistance to molds and it's ability to withstand the West Coast rain. Madder, the material used in dyeing the wool for this piece, was also used to dye the wool coats of the British Red Coats, so the red wool is suggestive of many layers, many strands of stories intertwined with each other.

Supported by an internal structure of cedar and natural fiber manilla rope, this braid is cradled in a streak of decay down the cedar tree it rests in. The cedar itself is half decayed with an east facing strip of live bark keeping it alive. Nurturing this decay, the braid is an offering to this cedar and to the land around it, to the insects that will find homes here, to the crows and ravens who may be entertained by the shiny buttons or the birds who may pull wool for their nests, I give thanks to this land and to the Coast Salish people who have and continue to nurture the land.

I chose this location because of the powerful cedar and the growth of fir and maple around it but also because I could see the ocean from here. As much as the seawall is great, I sometimes feel like it creates a separation between the forest and the ocean. In Entwined, I am attempting to bring it all together: ocean, forest, indigenous plant and animal life, the recognition of indigenous lands, knowledge and place, and a sense of wonder and meditation on our place within that, our place in the story ecology.

Kusktemc (Thank you) 
All My Relations

Ecological response provided by Robyn Worcester, Conservation Manager at SPES

This piece is unique in that it is suspended from a cedar tree. Since cedar bark naturally resists decay and the weaving is attached to a standing red cedar tree, this piece may stay intact for many years to come.

The use of natural dyes has eliminated any risk to the plants and animals around it and the fibers may actually provide nesting habitat for birds. Insects will certainly be the first to find their way into the weaving but parts of it may actually be carried off by robins or towhees to use as nesting material. The oyster shell buttons may not provide any ecological benefit to the environment, but they may serve as a source of entertainment for crows or ravens who have sometimes shown interest in shiny things.

Visitors to this site will not contribute to any soil erosion or vegetation trampling because the art work is located right on the trail.

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John Hemsworth & Peter von Tiesenhausen

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John Hemsworth, MAIBC, M.ARCH, B.ENG

John started practicing architecture in 2002 as a lead designer with the distinguished Vancouver-based firm AA Robins Architect. His work at the firm, specifically the Watermark Restaurant and Lifeguard Facility, was recognized with the 2006 Lieutenant Governor General's Special Jury Prize for Innovation. His work continues to explore the relationship between the urban fabric and the natural landscape through both art and architecture. He is currently principal of his own design firm, founded in 2005, Hemsworth Design Office.

Peter von Tiesenhausen

Peter has been creating site-specific works informed by the materials available and the environment surrounding the sites for about 20 years. He has exhibited his work throughout Canada, the US and Europe, working with such materials as wood, stone, ice and snow.

www.tiesenhausen.net 

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Davide Pan & T'Uy'Tanat Cease Wyss

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Davide Pan

After receiving his Studio Art Diploma from Capilano College, Davide returned to Italy to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice where his art work now forms part of the permanent collection of the Ca'Pesaro (the Venice Museum of Modern Art). His work is part of private and public collections in Canada, the US and Europe.

T'Uy'Tanat Cease Wyss

A Skwxumesh woman from the village of Sla7an in North Vancouver, Cease has been a media artist for close to 15 years, and recently began illustrating children's books. Cease has been in dialogue with the landscape in Vancouver for over 20 years through community gardening and public art involving plants and other natural elements.

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Shirley Wiebe

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Shirley Wiebe

Shirley is an installation-based artist whose practice considers sculpture, space, and light. Shirley explores a wide range of materials that relate the work to our physical gestures and interactions with the natural and built environment by way of playful irony. Much of this work is temporal and ephemeral, leaving no trace, other than memory and documentation.

Shirley's recent work concentrates both on the land and on the interaction of a community with its environment. She has created site works in a number of landscapes and galleries in the Pacific Northwest and completed several public art projects in Vancouver. Shirley has been awarded previous art residencies in the Yukon, the USA, and Turkey, as well as locally at UBC Farm.

www.wooloo.org/wiebe 

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Tania Willard

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Tania Willard

Tania, Secwepemc Nation, has been working with Aboriginal youth, community, story and the arts for over 10 years. An honour graduate from the University of Victoria, her groundbreaking work with Redwire Magazine, a national Aboriginal youth magazine, led the organization to be one of the first independent Aboriginal youth run arts and media organizations. Tania has since transferred her skills and passion to her work as an artist and graphic designer, again the focus of her work in this field is the Aboriginal community, the arts, health and social justice.

Tania has worked as an artist in residence with gallery gachet in Vancouver's Downtown East Side, as a writer in residence with Native Women in the Arts, and with the Banff Centre fiction residency. Tania has worked with grunt gallery to coordinate their community arts conference and publication, Live in Public: The Art of Engagment and recent online gallery projects including Dana Claxton's retrospective and the First Visions site.

www.taniawillard.ca 

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