a paddle to move between worlds
Meagan Musseau
Dreaming and creation of this project took place at Meagan's home on the west coast of Ktaqmkuk, unceded Mi'kmaq and ancestral Beothuk territory.
Proto-type of the paddle took place at the UBC Okanagan Indigenous Art intensive on the unceded territory of the Syilx (Okanagan) Peoples.
"Keeping a dream journal and participating in the creative sharing circles inspired me to focus on my dream world as a generative creative process.
I dreamt I was a paddle. I could move between the worlds below and above the water. The paddle is a tool for traveling through my dream world.
Over the course of a year, Dec 2021 - Dec 2022, I focused on that dream and followed my inspiration to sketch and create a prototype of the paddle. During the Spring, I was a visiting artist at UBCO Indigenous Art Intensive and had access to production facilities. I turned my sketch into a vector file and laser cut a series of paddles. After choosing the shape that reflected my dream, I envisioned a geometric design and painted it on the wood in a lavender hue.
As my creative offering, I brought the paddle to the area of land along Maqtukwek, a large river flowing through the west coast of Ktaqmkuk. Instead of putting the paddle in the water, I planted it in the land and pointed it towards the sky. This is my way of honouring the stars and expressing gratitude for the vivid dream world that supports my life, connection to land, and creative practice."
Written by Meagan Musseau