Читать книгу A Sense of Place - Robin Laurence - Страница 17

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The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe has since become a touchstone for travellers from all parts of the world, and an anchor for YVR’s renowned collection of British Columbian First Nations art.

The sculpture’s first casting had been given a black patina and was installed in 1991 in the Chancery of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. A second and final casting, patinated in blue-green to evoke the naturally occurring jade of British Columbia,1 was completed in 1994 and purchased by

Vancouver Airport Authority for placement in its new International Terminal.2 Among those witnessing the installation of this celebrated work, widely known by its subtitle, The Jade Canoe, were airport and museum officials, architects and contractors, as well as the artist and his wife. Seated in a wheelchair, ailing in body but strong in mind, Bill Reid seemed to be the living embodiment of the journey depicted in his sculpture. An ancient and enduring culture was being revalidated, old stories were being reinterpreted and new materials