CANOA/KENU

2005

Aluminum canoe with accompanying 10-mile walking civic tour & performance, 17 x 3 x 2 feet [5.2 x 1 x 0.6 m], 2005


The canoe exists in an imaginary of historic utility, survival, and ritual. We see phantom amphibians pushing carved trees into the water, decorated by their mythos painted along the ships sides. The entire scene in vignette, playing at a slightly sped up rate; occasionally skipping a frame. 



Some of the earliest images of that create this mental image follows closely the advent of photography. Anachronistically, two styles of clothing, tailored toward different fashions, stand next next to each other; the settler, whose responsibility to document this moment, aside the native person.



Canoa/Kenu recreates the proximity of this juxtaposition. One side, seen from land, exhibits the motifs of various peoples of the Pacific Northwest. The opposite side, seen from Lake Washington, silhouettes corporate and national symbols. The distinction of each icon is eased by the parallax of the opposing side's cutouts.

PRESENTED IN

Permanent installation on the University of Washington Campus, Seattle, US