Sovereign Waterways

Sovereign Waterways by Chase Gray holds up the eagle, the salmon and the two-headed serpent and the wooly dogs that signal xʷməθkʷəy̓əm territory, history and weaving traditions. Gray’s work is installed on three sides of the Blue Cabin deck house.

This work is part of a series of three digital archival prints (together with works by Jonas Jones/TsuKwalton and Calvin Charlie-Dawson/Ts’kanchtn) produced by Other Sights for Artists’ Projects. Other Sights describes the series thusly:

Sovereign Waterways centres the values, relations and visions of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) artists. Each of the three large-scale artworks installed on the Blue Cabin residency deckhouse originated from a sketch and/or digital design by Chase Gray, Jonas Jones and Calvin Charlie-Dawson. As a way of celebrating the origins of each work, Other Sights in partnership with the artists, created a 2023 limited-edition print series. Each digital artwork has been printed in an edition of five, using archival ink on 20 x 24″ premium rag paper. Proceeds for these editions go towards Blue Cabin Floating Artist Residency Programming and to the Sníchim Foundation.

The original series of public artworks were commissioned by Other Sights to be presented on the exterior and environs of the Blue Cabin floating artist residency. The artists created works that address the people that meet on the Fraser River to labour in fishing, tourism and recreation, visitors to the area, and residents of the recent developments that line the shore. The works were installed over two years between 2022 and 2024, offering visitors the opportunity to explore an enriched and deeper understanding of the ongoing presence and the history of these nations on these lands and waters.