Sea to Sky
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The Rivers MonumentYear: 2015
Artist: Marianne Nicolson
Dimensions and materials: Glass, stainless steel, red cedar and acrylic paint | 8.57 m tall; glass column tapes from 1.42 m at the bottom to 1 m at the top
Terminal: Domestic
Level: Level 3
Security access: After security
These two innovative glass-etched poles are a monument to the Columbia River and Fraser River, which carried a wealth of ancient names from the Indigenous Nations that fished and managed them. Each pole is a cut through of the river system, with the top of the column representing the surface and the bottom the riverbed. Each pole portrays a different history, with pictograph-like images of humans, fish, wildlife and water. Perched atop both poles are carved and painted red cedar eagles acting as witnesses.
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Raven Stealing the Beaver Lake
Year: 2016
Artist: Reg Davidson
Dimensions and materials: Cedar | 24-foot cedar pole
Terminal: Domestic
Level: Level 3
Security access: After security
Raven Stealing the Beaver Lake is a 24-foot carved cedar pole that illustrates an episode of Haida creation myth in which the Beaver people brought Raven to their great house and provided him with meals of salmon. Nearby are The Blind Halibut Fisherman and Raven with a Broken Break sculptures, as well as a large bentwood box traditionally used to store ceremonial regalia and other precious objects.
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Freedom to MoveYear: 2009
Artist: Steve Smith
Dimensions and materials: laminated red cedar, acrylic paint | 6.3 x 1.4 x 3.25 m overall
Terminal: Domestic
Level: Level 3
Security access: After security
Set on a black granite platform above a pool of water, this work encourages travellers to slow down and contemplate. Composed of six large, laminated red cedar panels, the work is filled with stylistic innovations, yet still alludes to Northwest Coast beliefs and graphic design conventions. The panels represent a host of crest and story creatures in a state of transformation, with their vertical orientation suggesting they are rising up out of dark water--emerging from a time and place of creation.
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Sky to SkyYear: 2011
Artist: Steve Smith
Dimensions and materials: Mahogany plywood, medium-density fireboard, acrylic paint | 91 cm in diametre
Terminal: Domestic
Level: Level 3
Security access: After security
This installation acknowledges the ceremonial use of drums in First Nations culture. The pieces silently drum the arrival and departure of travellers at YVR, honouring the tradition of drumming for arriving and departing guests at an event. They reference YVR's theme of land sea and sky with creatures from all three realms. The lower drums contain animals of the sea, followed by land creatures such as the Bear and creatures of the sky at the top.
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Snuw'uy'ulth
Year: 2009
Artist: John Marston
Dimensions and materials: Yellow cedar, acrylic paint, glass, cedar bark rope, abalone shell, operculum | 187.76 x 22.89 cm each, with the exception of the steersman paddle at 213.4 x 22.86 cm
Terminal: Domestic
Level: Level 3
Security access: After securityCoast Salish artist John Marston's installation is a metaphor of travel and the sea. The work alludes to the immense importance of the dugout cedar canoe to the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast, for whom it was the principal means of transportation for thousands of years. The paddles symbolize the canoe's protective spirit and represent "snuw'uy'ulth," meaning "the teaching of our nation." They are deeply carved and richly painted with stories of the Chemainus First Nation, with each portraying a different animal of importance to the culture.
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Raven House PostsYear: 1990
Artist: Roy Henry Vickers
Dimensions and materials: Painted red cedar | 3.3 x 0.9 x 1.5 m
Terminal: Domestic
Level: Level 3
Security access: After security
Created as part of a series of work representing YVR’s theme of Land, Sea and Sky, this installation focuses on Raven, a cultural hero in the ancient legends of Northwest Coast people. He is a revered and benevolent transformer figure who helps people shape the world, putting the sun in the sky, the fish in the sea and the food on the land.