Water is Life

This residency is about water and emotional resilience. Water carries feelings, memories and has many different forms. Water connects us all. The main project was a community collaborative mural located on a prominent stairwell in the school that they pass as they go up to their classes and the Art Studio. Queen Alexandra students show remarkable resilience in the face of challenges. The mural honors their voices, their spirits, their experiences and the way the community comes together to support each other in the studio, students explored the theme of water and emotions through play in line work and movement. Students explored the effect of water on different materials watercolour pencils, markers and paint and used a variety of processes to observe the movement of water and connect this to our feelings; for example to exptress feellings evoked by music through line, colour and movement and exploring the peaks and valleys of our feelings using crumpled and unfolded paper. Students learned that emotions are subjective and there is no right or wrong way to feel. This informed the intention behind the mural design.

The mural is of an enormous sun which represents the light of the Queen Alexandra School community and the balance and roles within their community. The background was painted by all age levels and is made up of gestural strokes in three blues, incorporating their line work, and showing movement and connection to water and emotions that are uniquely experienced by each student but interconnected. There are eight rays, one for each class of students and one ray for the teachers.

Each ray depicts a different animal (orca, raven, eagle, racoon, deer, fox bobcat, thunderbird) in black formaline based on ideas and sketches made by students and symbolizing the character and strengths of each class, and who they are within their community. For example - the raccoon from division 3 is depicted in a trash can and in nature showing their resilience and how they are able to adapt and survive in many environments. The teachers picked an orca, who are known to come together as a village to raise their children. They are matriarchs. Under the adult orca are two baby orcas representing the students. They have a large ovoid with a smaller ovoid in their stomachs, representing the care in providing food within this community school. Above the orca are three waves symbolizing the way teachers weather storms to support their students and their learning journey.