There was a fresh breeze by the water in Crippen Park on Saturday, April 2. Six sheets of organza fabric, strung between poles of driftwood, flapped in the wind forming ever-changing patterns of shadows beneath them. Three of the sheer nylon sheets were hand-embroidered with multi-coloured words.
Toronto textile artist Luisa Milan was on site to discuss her outdoor art installation "The Texture of Fairness." Pleased with the way the art complemented the natural environment, she said, "I didn't know what the space was going to be like. I tend to use trees as poles but that's not always possible. Last fall, I used pieces of lumber pounded into the ground but at UBC we had the installation on cement and that wasn't possible. We hired someone to make stands like the ones used for Christmas trees. I love the way it looks with the driftwood. It's our way to say thank you to the trees."
The installation was commissioned by the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at UBC as part of a public forum on creating new landscapes in notions of fairness. The event was organized by Janis Sarra, a UBC law professor who makes her home on Bowen Island. She said, "I was trying to point out that we think too narrowly about fairness. For me, I have a financial background and there is so much injustice. It was good to invite a diverse group, not only academics but also community members."
As well as exploring fairness in economic relations, the forum examined historical and contemporary insights and viewed the contours of fairness through visual art and dance. The program started on Bowen Island with a two-day dance atelier facilitated by Gail Lotenberg, the artistic director of LINK Dance, and Margie Gillis, the recipient of this year's Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in dance. Lotenberg said, "The atelier helped me understand how much discovery can be made through the body. In this specific case, it revolved around fairness but any concept can be explored. I feel that we gained some profound insights through the playfulness of the body that reflected the intelligence and open-mindedness of the participants."
In addition to Sarra and Lotenberg, forum participants from Bowen Island included Susanna Braund, Karen Cowper, Joanne Forbes and Peg Campbell. In her art, Luisa Milan also captured responses to fairness. She said, "The installation reflects suspended thoughts - panels of fabric set in outdoor space. Some panels are inscribed with text defining fairness, while others left blank may suggest unfairness or may present an opportunity for the beholder to imagine something new." The installation drew a lot of attention. Locals and visitors alike ducked in and out of the lines, read the prose and enjoyed the changing motion of the pieces of fabric.
