“When I was approached to design the Wordsfest 2022 artwork with the theme of ‘Bridging Divides,’ I knew instantly what story to share.
The artwork illustrates the stories of the Trickster in Indigenous cultures. From The Canadian Encyclopedia:
“For generations, trickster stories have been used to entertain community members as well as to transmit traditional knowledge about society, culture and morality… There are a wide variety of trickster figures in Indigenous cultures in Canada… According to one story, [they] disobeyed the Creator, who asked [them] to keep the animals and humans from quarrelling. The result was the Creator’s flooding of the world, to begin life anew.”
This illustration of the Trickster is a two-spirited, human-like form with a raven head. Within the figure’s cloak is an abstract semblance of the traditional story with a dividing line at a set of two trees.
The two trees represent two nations of people, growing separately but connected at the source.
The Trickster figure stands with its hands raised against a colourful abstract illustration of a great flood with the land divided by water.
The background is adapted from an AI (Artificial Intelligence) rendered image generated from the prompt “abstract illustration of a flood.” Against the traditional story, this artificial element is an homage to our present-day digital world, which is also facing a great flood.
Our divided nations require Truth before Reconciliation. The conversations about the Truth can be disruptive and messy, while Reconciliation can be the connection that bridges divides.
The artwork invites the viewer to ask, “Who is the Trickster?” as we reassemble perspectives and approach new conversations with honesty and understanding.”