The Canada Day show, called X̱I,ÁM, Stories in Sand, is a collaboration between sand sculptors and Indigenous artists.
Heaps of sand are being transformed into sculptures at Heritage Acres ahead of a Canada Day art show meant to showcase Coast Salish artists and the oral histories behind their pieces.
The show, called X̱I,ÁM, Stories in Sand, is a collaboration between sand sculptors with decades of experience and Indigenous artists known for their storytelling skills.
X̱I,ÁM, which means “to tell a story” in SENĆOTEN, the traditional language of the W̱SÁNEĆ people, was organized by non-profit Reciprocity Trusts and the Tsawout First Nation.
Three massive sculptures are on display at the heritage centre for spectators to admire.
Damon Langlois, creative director for the event, has been creating sand sculptures for decades, but said this is his first time collaborating with an Indigenous artist to bring their vision to life.
He has been working with contemporary Coast Salish artist lessLIE (Leslie Robert Sam) for weeks to perfect the design and engineering of an art piece that tells the origin story of the Cowichan people, titled “The Brothers Who Fell From the Sky.”
Langlois said the process of sculpting begins with massive wooden forms that are filled with compacted sand, which the team sourced from a gravel yard in Duncan.
The forms are then carefully removed in layers, and the shaping process begins, he said.
Artists began compacting on Friday and started sculpting on Saturday in time for completion on Canada Day.
He said Heritage Acres hopes to keep the sculptures up for days after the event, but it all depends on the weather — a drizzle can actually help keep the designs in place and prevent them from drying out and crumbling, he said.
Langlois said having the art show on Canada Day means more people will be able to see the finished pieces and appreciate the Indigenous stories that each piece features.
“It’s bridgemaking,” Langlois said. “It’s about friendship.”
Artist lessLIE said he has wanted to try sand sculpting since he first saw it at the annual Parksville Beach Festival sculpting exhibition and became fascinated with the unusual art form.
“I always had this idea in the back of my head,” he said. He started experimenting with digital design and wood carving during the COVID-19 pandemic after years of painting in two dimensions.
He said the inspiration for his geometric, austere sculpture, which features two monoliths balancing on each other over a triangle with sun and moon symbols, came from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
In the origin story, when the two brothers landed from the sky, one settled on Mount Prevost and the other on Koksilah Ridge, becoming the ancestors of the Cowichan Tribes, lessLIE said.
The other two sculptures were designed by artists Douglas LaFortune and Sarah Jim, featuring a W̱SÁNEĆ flood story and a tribute to Indigenous women, respectively.
Artist lessLIE said he hopes people who come to see the three pieces discover the uniqueness of Coast Salish art and how stories are passed down through oral traditions.
The free Canada Day event is open to everyone from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Heritage Acres in Saanichton, and will feature food, entertainment, train rides and cultural performances.