Diamond Point
wəɬ m̓i ct q̓pəθət tə ɬniməɬ, 2020
Lamppost banners installed along main mall, UBC
Collection of the artist
Forming two continuous lines on this part of the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people, wəɬ m̓i ct q̓pəθət tə ɬniməɬ by Diamond Point presents two images on banners that repeat in a sequence hung on the lampposts along UBC’s Main Mall from James Hart’s Reconciliation Pole to the plaza just beyond the Belkin. The banner images echo the contours of the landscape to the north of the promontory and refer to the annual Coast Salish Canoe Journeys. Bringing to mind a group of paddlers announcing themselves before coming ashore, awaiting a welcome according to protocol, the paddles are raised in symmetrical precision. Coast Salish design elements on the paddles indicate who the travelers are and where they have come from and are incorporated here in keeping with the teachings of Point’s ancestors. The alternating heights of the paddle shapes drawn upon turbulent waves serve to activate the design, and through repetition, transform a walk through the installation to a rhythmic journey by water.
Point says of the work: “This visual display is an act of communication between two communities, an abstract representation of cultural significance in Salish tradition, and symbolizes a journey of healing.”
On Thursday, September 10, 2020, Coastal Wolf Pack (Tsatsu Stalqyu) interpreted Point’s banners as a musical score with a performance that began at James Hart’s Reconciliation Pole along Main Mall and ended at the Belkin. At the Belkin, Elder Larry Grant greeted the performers, artists and audience with an official Musqueam welcome.
The artist would like to thank Elder Larry Grant for his generosity and time in discussing the work early in its development, and Jill Campbell for her insight and guidance in the process of conceiving the work.
(Text courtesy of Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery)
