Imagine living on a planet that provides its inhabitants with an
abundance of life-sustaining food and water; furnishes the materials
for shelter, displays the beauty of the universe to be enjoyed and
investigated. Why would anyone poison the earth that provides their
sustenance? Is it possible that person can gaze at the creeks, tide,
lakes and rain and not be moved powerfully to treat this home with
respect and do everything possible to preserve it from harm?
Most Salt Spring Islanders are painfully aware that our lakes are
threatened: unwanted chemicals are permeating our soils and leaching
into our lakes. Engineers, politicians and concerned citizens have
been working earnestly to find remedies for the problems but the
outcome is uncertain. This is where art and culture come in to help
raise awareness and arouse islanders’ inner feelings of
connectedness with our environment, making it a pleasure and a part
of all of us to remedy and protect our soil and our waters. The
Islands Institute is leading a community project focused on
healing the waters of island ecosystems, with the cooperation of island
groups including the Gulf Islands Secondary Performing Arts Program,
Lobby Dancers, Water Preservation Society, Land Trust Alliance, and
the Waterbird Watch Collective.
adapted from a Gulf Islands
Driftwood article by Maggie Schubart and Caffyn Kelley
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DANCE
A dance is being developed through a community
process on Salt Spring Island from
November 2009 through June 2010 under the direction of choreographer
Seónagh Odhiambo. This dance is about water, focused
through examinations of environmental impacts on St. Mary Lake and acts of healing this delicate ecosystem on Salt Spring Island.
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WRITE
We are collecting words about Salt Spring
Island water to share in our lakeside solstice ceremony on June 21st. Gentle exercises encourage
participants to walk in the watersheds, experiencing rhymes between
their bodies
and the world around them.
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RESTORE
Pacific willow saplings are available for all
who wish to make a gesture towards restoring water quality by planting a
tree.
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image of dance from Sand and Bone, Seónagh Odhiambo
choreographer, image of restoration planting from Trout Lake Community
Mapping Project, Caffyn Kelley artist/coordinator, image of 10th century
palimpsest from the Internet. |
