Copper Circle is an interactive media art project facilitated by artists of Deer Crossing the Art Farm and shíshálh Nation: Joah Lui, Manuela Salinas, Aliya Craigan and Meera Shah. Copper Circle widens to include members of the shíshálh Nation and the local Sunshine Coast community through workshops and educational opportunities.
Emerging out of three years of collaborative engagement with shíshálh Knowledge Carriers, Indigenous and settler artists, and youth, Copper Circle aims to use copper art, interactive media and tactile learning to centre the stories and language of the shíshálh peoples. We explore ways of sharing and celebrating cultural knowledge and experiences, while acknowledging the impact of colonialism and the need to re-imagine the de-colonial present/future. We are fueled by and hold much gratitude for the opportunity to do this work in a creative and positive way.
Dates: 2022
Partnered with:
shíshálh Nation
Ecos of the Swiya
Copper Circle is building a prototype they call Ecos of the Swiya: a mobile interactive copper art installation to share the language of the shíshálh people. Through Ecos of the Swiya, Copper Circle will share the she shíshálhlem words for plants and animals, and the traditional stewards of the swiya (the shíshálh world; universe), in 4 different eco spheres: Feather, Inland Waters, Mountain and Ocean.
Mobile and interactive by design, Ecos of the Swiya has the potential to act as a widely used tool for teaching, exploring, and sharing Indigenous language, ways of being, and creative technologies. We hope to provide a jumping off point for more permanent installations in different communities on the Sunshine Coast and beyond.
