wəɬ m̓i ct q̓pəθət tə ɬniməɬ

Artist/Creator: Diamond Point (Artist)
Date: 2020
ID #: BG6037

Physical Description

Medium: cedar, paint
Support: –
Dimensions: –
Object Description: PART ONE
The first paddle is installed in the gallery, echoing a series of outdoor banners that form two continuous lines on this part of the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. wəɬ m̓i ct q̓pəθət tə ɬniməɬ presents two images repeating in a sequence along UBC’s Main Mall from James Hart’s Reconciliation Pole to the plaza just beyond the Belkin. The images reference the contours of the landscape to the north of the promontory and refer to the annual Coast Salish Canoe Journeys. Bringing to mind a group of paddlers announcing themselves before coming ashore, awaiting a welcome according to protocol, the paddles are raised in symmetrical precision. Coast Salish design elements on the paddles indicate who the travellers are and where they have come from and are incorporated here in keeping with the teachings of Point’s ancestors. The alternating heights of the paddle shapes drawn upon turbulent waves serve to activate the design, and through repetition, transform a walk through the installation to a rhythmic journey by water xʷməθkʷəy̓əm

“This visual display is an act of communication between two communities, an abstract representation of cultural significance in Salish tradition, and symbolizes a journey of healing.”

~ Diamond Point

PART TWO
Four paddles arrive, one at a time, in the gallery suggesting a growing gathering over the course of the exhibition.

Paddles are carved by Jordan Point.

History

Collection: Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery Permanent Collection
Credit Line: Purchased with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Morris and Helen Belkin Foundation, 2021
Related Exhibitions: Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts

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