Regulars at the Canfor Leisure Pool will immediately notice a big difference next time they visit.
A giant three by seven meter art piece called ‘Talukw Bah Bedukaih,’ or, ‘Dipping for Salmon’ has been installed in the front foyer.
Local Indigenous artist Kym Gouchie was originally commissioned to do the piece, but due to the busyness of life she eventually handed the lead off to her child, Ray Desjarlais.
“I have been doing art since before I can remember, I knew from a very young age that I wanted to do art for a living,” Desjarlais, who is primarily an animation designer, told My PG Now. “This is a little out of my wheelhouse, it has been a learning experience in so many ways… It has been a lot of hard work but I am very relieved it is up right now.”
Desjarlais said building the piece was lengthy, not just in creating the art itself but also the work most people wouldn’t think about just by looking.
“There is a lot of research I had to do, the concept stage itself was a very lengthy process,” Desjarlais explained. “I had to learn more about dip netting because I never got to witness it in action, it is a dying art.”
“I want you to know this project, I have witnessed Ray shine and come out of a shell,” a proud Gouchie said. “I could not be more proud.”
She said the project took a year and a half to complete from start to finish.
They wanted the mural to be aquatic to fit the theme of the pool, but Gouchie said they settled on dip netting because they also wanted it to tell a story and showcase the region’s history.
“We started building on that imagery and that is how we ended up here,” she explained. “I was thinking about salmon, tradition, childhood memories, and what connects me to the land.”
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