TROPOS 

This poetic installation is part of a larger body of work I developed as a creative approach to public engagement while designing an Internment Memorial in Vancouver with Hapa Collaborative. Building on previous work in my practice from 2009, and research on the Ukrainian-Canadian internment in 1914, this process generated the concept and form for the public art memorial.

In this work, community engagement is conceptualized as an artwork. Through the development of a series of simple note cards handed out to the community, this poetic installation allowed community members to engage with the creative process and develop a personal connection to the memorial. In this social and experimental work, each note provide a space for the community to share their personal experiences as part of a collective artwork.

By utilizing a series of 6 simple questions about the community's internment experience, memory, and connection to Steveston, the notecards provide an anonymous space for people to remember, record, and share their personal histories. This information informed the basis for the conceptual and physical design for the memorial. Formally, the engagement process is inspired by the ancient spiritual practice of writing prayer notes on paper and placing these gifts in temples for release.