Thursday, January 19, 2017

Special Guest - Xwalacktun

So last Friday's class was really exciting because we had guests. Remember I told you  I was waiting to get permission to use some photos and info.
https://mylangaratrccarvingjourney.blogspot.ca/2017/01/guests-wisdom-design-and-carving.html

http://www.xwalacktun.ca


Our Special Guest was:
 Xwalacktun
http://www.xwalacktun.ca/

Have a look at some of the AMAZING work that he creates. http://www.xwalacktun.ca/wood/

We were in for a very special treat! It was great. He was so honest and open and he had us laughing so hard we cried  and inside I was crying about some of the things he said. He had it very hard in public school but it obviously is being expressed through his art now.

Here is some info from his bio

"Xwalacktun was born and raised in Squamish. He carries with him the rich ancestries of his father’s (Squamish Nation) and mother’s (Kwakwakw'wakw Nation) of the Coast Salish clans. His father, Pekultn, carried a hereditary chieftainship from Seymour Creek in North Vancouver. He would like to acknowledge Capilano College and Emily Carr College of Art for teaching him the skills to have a start in his career. His endurance and commitment through trial and error helped propel him forward as an artist."

"Healing, growth and raising an awareness of the environment are central themes in Xwalacktun’s work. By focusing on how the traditional stories relate to his own life, he suggests to us how to use this ancient knowledge to help heal ourselves and our community. The giving out of positive energy and seeing it come back through the young people is the reward that continues to feed his spirit so that he can give back to others"

Here's his bio. http://www.xwalacktun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/xwalcktunLongBio.pdf

Here's a few photos from class.

http://www.xwalacktun.ca

http://www.xwalacktun.ca


Xwalacktun was rushing off to Germany for BAU 2017 the World's Leading Tradeshow in Architecture, Materials and System .  He was delivering some very special  doors that were going to be displayed. I was grateful that he stopped in to visit and talk with us about our project.
 http://bau-muenchen.com/index-2.html

Contact:
http://www.xwalacktun.ca/contact/ 

This is a really great interview. 
Below are a bunch more. Have a listen! 




Xwa-lack-tun (Rick Harry), Opening Doors Project, 2015 from Emily Carr University on Vimeo.



Water Is Life!! Thanks! You have the best day too!!!
I love watching him carve in this video and the story of the bear was very touching. Thank you for sharing Xwalacktun.





I really love this video where he's carving at the end. It's very calming and relaxing.






Xwa-lack-tun - Traditional Welcome to Coast Salish Territories from Emily Carr University on Vimeo.














Images for Xwalactun - Google Images




Related Links:
http://www3.gordonsmithgallery.ca/Gallery/ArtistPatrons/Xwalacktun/Pages/default.aspx
http://www3.gordonsmithgallery.ca/Gallery/Collection/FrontDoors/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.lattimergallery.com/collections/xwalacktun
https://www.bchydro.com/news/conservation/2015/master-carver.html
http://www.sfu.museum/time/en/panoramas/beach/xwa-lack-tun-rick-harry/
https://shop.slcc.ca/learn/xwa-lack-tun-rick-harry/
https://harmonyarts.ca/xwalacktun-prints-sale