Working with the K’ómoks Nation towards Q’waq’wala7owkw on their unceded territory.

Working with the K’ómoks Nation towards Q’waq’wala7owkw on their unceded territory.

'Connections' Art Exhibit features PW Eelgrass

Eelgrass
Three textile artists in collaboration with four members of Nature Vancouver explore issues of cultural and natural destruction, and the consumption, restoration, and protection of nature. In a spirit of experimentation that has involved risk, research and steep learning curves, all participants have gained – and are pleased to share – new understandings of the natural world.

Teresa Gagné contacted Project Watershed to request use of our photos of eelgrass planting in Royston as part of their art exhibit. The photo was used by artist Bettina Matzkuhn in her creation of a piece entitled “Weighting for the Herring”. The pieces measures 23x30x4cm (9”x12”x1.5”) and is priced at $950. “We are excited to be a part of this initiative which helps raise awareness about our restoration work.” reports Caila Holbrook, Project Watershed Outreach Coordinator.

“Weighting for the Herring” by Bettina Matzkuhn

“Weighting for the Herring” was inspired by a talk given by eelgrass expert and PW consultant Cynthia Durance, and the accompanying booklet features photos of one of our K’ómoks Estuary eelgrass restoration projects. On the box cover, a single, weighted eelgrass sprig drifts downwards to make a new start on the shallow sea bottom. Inside are Matzkuhn’s impressions of a mature eelgrass bed, its green blades richly ornamented with pearly herring eggs, or swaying gently in the current, teeming with a school of little silvery fish. The remaining boxes in the series are also delightful and the other “Connections” partnerships have resulted in works which are equally compelling and thought provoking. Barbara Heller’s woven tapestry “Regeneration” is a powerful exploration of the destructive and regenerative power of fire, while Eleanor Hanna’s “The Treatment of H2O in Vancouver” is a whimsical interpretation of water treatment, delicately hand-sketched in black embroidery floss. In the large appliqué/embroidery piece “City of Glass”, Matzkuhn returns to the marine environment with an exquisite, yet playful view of life in BC’s glass sponge reefs.

Exhibition:

Thursday May 11, 2017 – June 21, 2017,
10-6pm every day at the BC Craft Council’s Crafthouse Gallery,
1386 Cartwright St., Vancouver BC, V6H 3R8.

Click for more information about Connections exhibit

Layne and Brenda of 40 KNOTS with Caitlin Pierzchalski ~ L.Stewart