From Earth to Sky -Documentary
With all the distressing stories in the news about residential schools resurfacing, Earth to Sky exhibits Indigenous architects in a positive light. Director Ron Chapman tells the story of the Turtle Island team of architects selected to represent at the Venice Biennale 2018. He starts out with The Elder, Douglas Cardinal from Siksika in Alberta, who was asked to present the project. Then he works his way through the list The First, Tammy Eagle Bull, The Changemaker, Brian Porter, The Innovator, Alfred Waugh, The Visionary, Daniel Glen, The Traditionalist, Patrick Stewart and The Teacher, Wanda Dalla Costa. They all tell stories about their creative process and personal histories, which at times were painful, but art is medicine.
Indigenous cultures are relational involving relationships with the land, people and ancestors. The featured architects undertake projects to represent their communities and reflect their values. In the film everyone stressed the need for community involvement in the planning process to make sure the structure properly served the identified needs. While they admitted it takes longer, the end result is a building that everyone feels safe and comfortable. The Elders room at the Calgary Public Library feels like a complete after thought, which is sad given that the movie features two Alberta architects.
Wanda Dalla Costa
Wanda Dalla Costa may live in the US, but grew up in Saddle Lake, Alberta, taking her degree in architecture from the University of Calgary. Her work can be seen in South East Calgary as the Niitsitapi Learning Centre is part of the Calgary Board of Education, which teaches young children up until grade 2, their language and culture. I would love to have been able to attend that school. They have several gardens to teach the children about healing plants and ceremonies in their respective languages, Blackfoot, Cree or Dene when possible.
Douglas Cardinal
Doug Cardinal and I spoke for a couple hours, where I had to ask his secret to healthy aging. He stands up straight and wears a suit with a powerful gentleness of spirit. During the interview his colleague interrupted. Only then, did I find out that at 87 years old he was still working as an architect, designing a building in Toronto. He credits participating in sweat lodges every week for the last 50 years for his remarkable health. Despite terrible experiences at residential school, one of Doug’s first projects was a church in Red Deer, which he found healing. To build it, he needed some serious computational power that he imported from the United States in the 1960s. His firm became one of the first to do fully computerized drawings.
2018 Venice Biennale
The documentary ends with the 2018 Venice Biennale presentation of Unceded: Voices of the Land, the first Indigenous led entry presented by Canada. Using a digital architectural display, the team captures themes of Indigeneity, resilience, sovereignty and colonization. David Fortin gave an interview explaining the complexity of Indigenous architecture, which is an excellent supplement for the movie. I end this piece with a quote from Doug Cardinal, “I firmly believe that the Indigenous world view, which has always sought this balance between nature, culture and technology, is the path that humanity must rediscover and adopt for our future. The teachings of the Elders are not the teachings of the past. They are the teachings of the future.”
Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVMwo1jRdOw&t=0s
