Boat Cultures Exhibit

Architecture as Catalyst 2019: Extended Communities of Practice

Boat Cultures (Catalyst 2019: Extended Communities of Practice) was a studio experience (hosted by the School of Architecture, College of Design, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities) of making as a way of thinking about design, cultural considerations, o

f the relationships between the tangible and the intangible, and the circular connections between the old and the new, symmetry and asymmetry, the

digital and the physical and the past and the future. The project draws from three projects/events:

• The Peoples of the Water Projects that proposes to bring together individuals from three distinct cultural and historical communities in Minnesota’s Southwest region – Milan’s Norwegian Americans, it’s new residents from the Pacific Island nation of the Federated States of Micronesia, and members of the nearby Upper and Lower Sioux Dakota communities –through the building of traditional watercraft and other arts associated with boats and voyaging.

• Catalyst 2018 – Rural Minnesota Futures studio that took on the question of: what does it mean to build a canoe house for Micronesian community in Milan, MN on what are Dakota homelands which were once settled by Norwegian/Scandinavian settlers?

• The third influence is recently begun two year Grand Challenges Research project Back to Indigenous Futures: Cultural Revitalization and Sustainability through Trans- Indigenous Partnerships , Participatory Design and Embodied Computing

In Boat Cultures, graduate architecture students explored Making as a way of Thinking, learning from cultural histories of making and voyaging across cultures (Dakota, Norwegian, Micronesian). While engaging in a contemporary, rapid process of exploring materials and shaping them into artefacts/systems of boat building that revealed the complex influences and intangible connections and the material reality that is at the heart of creative production. Social anthropologist, Tim Ingold’s ideas of observing and engaging with materials as an experience of joining forces of matter with improvisation and discovery were definitely at play. A parallel process of virtual reality recording and photogrammetry of the Wa herak (Micronesian outrigger canoe) and the Wiigwaasi Jiimaan, Wata (Ojibwe, Dakota) was also part of the process.

Acknoweldgements

For their logistical and technical support for the Boats Cultures and Making Group

Canoe Rising members: Jacob Bernier, Chrissy Pettit, Kaytlyn Lundstrom, Olivia Stout, Gabriela Diaz, Miskwaanakwad Rice, Jack Bernier.

Back to Indigenous Futures Grand Challenge Research Team: Virajita Singh, Dr. Vicente Diaz, Dr. Dan Keefe, Dr. Hyun Soon Park, Dr. Katie Johnston Goldstar, Dr. Christine DeLisle, Dr. Roxeanne Gould, Dr. James Rock, and Dr. Stephen Guy

Dakota wata technical assistance: Mat Pendleton, Upper Sioux Dakota Community, Peoples of the Waters, and Back to Indigenous Futures

Viking Boat technical assistance: Myron Anderson, Hjemkomst original Crew Member

Micronesian wa herak sail shunting data capture: Dr. Hyun Soo Park and Zhixuan Yu

Dakota wata, Ojibwe wiigwaasi jiimaan, and Micronesian wa herak photogrammy and rendering: Samantha “Sam” Porter and Colin McFadden CLA LATIS AESOS Lab

The Canoe Virtual Project: Duan Liu, Collin Volk

The Native Canoe Program, Department of American Indian Studies

Other

Adam Savariego, Lower Sioux Dakota Community Partner, Peoples of the Waters and Back to Indigenous Futures

Gabriel Elias, Angechu Plan, Micronesians of Milan Community partner, Peoples of the Waters and Back to Indigenous Futures

Michael Elias, Angechu Plan, Micronesians of Milan Community partner, Peoples of the Waters and Back to Indigenous Futures

Bob Ryan, Angechu Plan, Micronesians of Milan Community partner, Peoples of the Waters and Back to Indigenous Futures