Title

Rise and Fall

Artist

Nicolson, Marianne

Date

2021

Medium

steel

glass

Type

sculpture

Dimensions

91.1, 134.3cm height x 194.6. 194.6cm width

Owner

City of Burnaby

Accession Number

NA

Location

4711 Hazel Street, Burnaby BC

Category

Private Development Public Art

Collection

Public Art

Lat/Long

49.229280,-122.998136

View in Google Maps

http://www.google.com/maps?q=49.229280,-122.998136

The artwork consists of a four-part sculptural piece wrapping the four columns at the entrance to the building, which are rendered in 12mm blue- green glass cladding. Each pillar is visually unique, sandblasted with distinctive patterns which read as a cohesive narrative. The imagery used represents characters related to the national signatories to the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement. Each nation is pictured as their national animal in a pictographic style reminiscent of early Indigenous signatures on international treaty agreements. The depth of sandblast creates edges strong visual edges in the glass. The visual impression changes from sunlit during the day to electrical illumination at night. Marianne Nicholson states, about this work: "My work stems from a strong belief in the value of Indigenous philosophies and ways of being on the land. It is also driven by a mandate for social justice and the well being of all peoples. Art, writing, performance, and academics are all platforms for the expression of these ideas. Fundamentally, it is about communication, resolution and inspiration. My inquiry questions the social and political contexts which frame the existence of my own Nation, the Dzawada’enuxw of the Kwakwaka’wakw peoples. Our history, both magnificent and tragic, is deeply rooted in the lands we inhabit, the Kingcome Watershed and the Broughton Archipelago. Since contact, this relationship has been threatened by outside forces and we are under duress to hold onto our traditional ways of being. My practice is an attempt to manifest these philosophies into contemporary spaces and conversations. My hope is that through this process of expression that the ideas remain alive and that others can experience their value. I do this because I believe that Indigenous worldviews can benefit all peoples, in particular, our notions of community connection to one another and to the land."

Marianne Nicolson is an artist activist of the Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw First Nations. The Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw Nations are part of the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwak’wala speaking peoples) of the Pacific Northwest Coast. She is trained in both traditional Kwakwaka’wakw forms and culture and contemporary gallery and museum-based practice. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design (1996), a Master of Fine Arts (2000) from the University of Victoria, as well as a Master of Arts (2005) in Linguistics and Anthropology and a PhD (2013) in Linguistics and Anthropology with a focus on space as expressed in the Kwak’wala language. Nicolson works as a Kwakwaka’wakw cultural researcher and historian, as well as an advocate for Indigenous land rights. Her practice is multi-disciplinary encompassing photography, painting, carving, video, installation, monumental public art, writing and speaking. All her work is political in nature and seeks to uphold Kwakwaka’wakw traditional philosophy and worldview through contemporary mediums and technology. Exhibitions include the 17th Biennale of Sydney, Australia; The Vancouver Art Gallery, The National Museum of the American Indian in New York, Nuit Blanche in Toronto, Ontario, Museum Arnhem, Netherlands and many others. Major monumental public artworks are situated in Vancouver International Airport, the Canadian Embassy in Amman, Jordan and the Canadian Embassy in Paris, France.