Spirit of the Sea
-
The Story of Fog Woman and Raven
Year: 2007
Artist: Dempsey Bob
Dimensions and materials: Laminated yellow cedar, red cedar, acrylic paint, stone | Fog Woman 198 x 142 x 134 cm; Raven 213 x 81 x 178 cm
Terminal: International
Level: Level 3
Security Access: After securityThis work tells the story of how the annual salmon run originated to benefit the people of the northern coast of British Columbia and the southern coast of Alaska. There are a few recorded versions of the myth, all relating to a distant time before the salmon existed as a food source for the Tlingit people. Carved from a red cedar log, Raven perches on the side of the pool, beak uplifted, smiling and well fed. Fog Woman, carved from a block of laminated yellow cedar, kneels at the head of a stream, which flows metaphorically toward river and ocean.
-
Orca Chief and the Kelp ForestYear: 2007
Artist: Lyle Wilson and John Nutter
Dimensions and materials: Aluminum, glass | Orca Chief 5.59 x 5.99 x 0.91 m; Kelp Forest 4.98 x 0.56 m; Individual Glass 0.02 m
Terminal: International
Level: Level 3
Security access: After security
Orca Chief and the Kelp Forest is a collaboration between Haisla artist Lyle Wilson and artist John Nutter. Situated above the enormous aquarium in YVR's International Terminal, the work combines images drawn from ancient myths and cultural traditions of the Haisla people with contemporary Western materials and technology. It tells the story of Orca Chief, ruler of the sea, and demonstrates the Chief's power over its creatures as they swim through a kelp forest toward the viewer.
-
King Salmon HousefrontYear: 1990
Artist: Roy Henry Vickers
Dimensions and materials: Carved and painted cedar | Panels 2.9 x 2.9 m; Centre column 3.3 x 0.9 x 0.4; Outer Column 2.9 x 0.9 x 0.3 m
Terminal: International
Level: Level 3
Security access: After security
This panel was created by artist Roy Henry Vickers, the first artist commissioned to create works for YVR. The piece is part of a series of works representing YVR's theme of Land, Sea and Sky. The King Salmon, representing the sea, has been the main food source for the people of the Northwest Coast for thousands of years and is honoured in Northwest Coast legend, song and dance.
-
Net Work
Year: 2007
Artist: Eric Robertson
Dimensions and materials: Cast aluminum steel | #1 (West) approx. 3.58 x 2.64 x 9.13 m; #2 (East) approx. 5.54 x 2.64 x 10.16 m; #3 (Middle) approx. 1.48 x 2.64 x 6.96 m
Terminal: International
Level: Level 4
Security access: After securityNet Work is an intriguing piece that includes three big herring balls, which are defensive formations created by groups of herring as they burst away from their schools, suspended from large dip nets. The installation captures the wonder and beauty of these important fish, which artist Eric Robertson describes as the "life-sustaining wealth" of the sea. It demonstrates the importance of herring in the complex marine ecosystem of the North Pacific Coast, while drawing attention to an uncertain future under threat of human impact.