art + design + landscape
Associated Research
Public Art Internment Memorial
Social Engagement
This poetic installation is part of a larger body of work Lesia Mokrycke developed as a creative approach to public engagement while designing an Internment Memorial in Vancouver with Hapa Collaborative. Building on previous work in her practice, and her research on the Ukrainian-Canadian internment, the artist used this work to develop the concept and sculptural form for the Nikkei public art memorial.
In this social and experimental work, Lesia conceptualized the approach to community engagement as a contemporary artwork. Through the development of a series of simple note cards handed out to the community, this work allowed community members to engage with the creative process and develop a personal connection to the memorial. Each note provided a space for the community to share their personal experiences as part of a collective.
Through asking a series of questions, the notecards provide an anonymous space for people to remember, record, and share their personal experiences. This information informed the basis for the artist's conceptual and physical design of the Nikkei memorial. Formally, the engagement process is inspired by the ancient spiritual practice of writing prayer notes on paper and placing these gifts in temples for release.
About
2018
Environmental Artwork
Vancouver, BC
Strategy
Hamilton City Magazine "Talking with Trees"
TVO "Beautiful, monumental, and magnificent’: Meet Hamilton’s oldest trees"
Downtown Sparrow "What Coexisting with Urban Trees Can Teach Us About Our City"
CBC Hamilton "Meet the woman searching for the oldest trees in Hamilton"
Hamilton's Heritage Landscapes - Monument Trees of Hamilton - Online Exhibition
Mapping the Invisible - Monument Trees of Hamilton, Neighbourhood Tour - Gage Park
How do trees propagate? In the city, it is easy to forget about the important role seeds play in the forest. Seeds are our quiet companions in the city. We rake them up, drop maple keys and watch them spin and pull them from cracks in the sidewalk when they become a nuisance.
The Learning Guide is co-produced with the Department of Tourism and Culture with the City of Hamilton and Tropos. This educational resource for local teachers will help students learn about the urban forest in Hamilton. As part of the Stewardship program established through our work at Tropos, the Learning Guide introduces the core concepts of our work to kids through a series of creative activities: identifying, collecting, and protecting.
Click on the link below to download a copy for your classroom.
Are you interested in becoming a neighbourhood forest steward? Are you passionate about the trees in your community and want to make a difference?
Give us a shout at the link below:
Author and Artist - Lesia Mokrycke
Sponsor - We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts / Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien
Studio Assistants - Mae Garcia, Alex Li, Sophie Williams
Indigenous Specialist - Paul General, Former Head of Six Nations Eco-Centre
Special Thanks - Cathy Plotz at Hamilton Conservation Authority; Kathy Renwald with CBC Hamilton; the Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee, City of Hamilton Culture and Heritage Department; Hamilton Culture & Tourism / Hamilton Civic Museums; McMaster University, Dept of History; CFMU; CityLAB; University of Toronto, Dept of Environment; Rebecca Rathbone; Hamilton City Magazine; Downtown AM Rotary Club of Hamilton; Our Forest; Downtown Sparrow; Justin Chandler at TVO; Hamilton Naturalists Club; Education department at RBG; Friends of Auchmar, and each member of the Hamilton community who has contributed a tree to this project.
