THOMAS CANNELL

“It is crucial to express many of my ancestral people’s different and unique daily cultural qualities in this project, so my design incorporates more than one design element and is a mix of materials and creativity. I’ve decided that the most meaningful way to engage this public art sculpture is by drawing upon my experience in different materials and techniques and merging them into five sculptures that can be seen from all angles, inside and outside the adjacent space.

I’ve created a symbolic concept that remembers the past and embraces the future, positioned at the entrance and along Kathleen Avenue. Art lovers will discuss these markers on art walks as a prominent feature, drawing upon the friendly, open-door attitudes of the social community where proud residents will show off where they live.

The five three-metre-high directional markers are not just sculptures but guardian emblems that invite interaction. A floating Salish arrowhead is suspended within the vertical components, creating a 360° installation that encourages viewers to explore from all angles. The mixed-media elements, approximately one and a half meters wide and fifteen centimetres thick, create silhouettes and a “Window into the Future,” crafted from weathering steel and etched acrylic panes. The uniquely Coast-Salish floating spindle whorl designs, three-dimensionally carved into acrylic, are lit by coloured LED lights in shades of a sunrise or the glowing embers of a fire, adding an element of dynamism to the installation from dawn to dusk.

I chose these different materials because each tells a story over time. The steel is fully pierced to allow light to pass through the acrylic, retaining the open-space feel of the courtyard and windows. I have used a different patina on each of the markers. I like the use of weathering steel because it continues to tell a story of time as it weathers and changes in colour and contrast.”

–Thomas Cannell

Thomas Cannell is a Coast Salish artist who was born on Musqueam traditional territory in 1980. He has spent his whole life on the Musqueam Reserve in Vancouver, BC, and has been immersed in the long-established art and cultural traditions of his Musqueam ancestors. Thomas mentored with his mother, Susan Point, honing his skills as a carver and designer. His artwork reflects his respect and love for his Salish roots and the natural evolution of his people. He currently works on large-scale public art works in many different mediums with Susan and on his own. His was a recipient of the BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nations’ Art in 2014.