An immersive Indigenous storytelling experience comes to downtown Kingston.
In addition to ice-skating and sipping hot chocolate by the fire in Springer Market Square, visitors to downtown Kingston have a new, immersive activity to do this winter.
Surrounded by a glowing tree-lined path along Market Street, an animated, narrated Indigenous tale is projected onto Kingston City Hall and the Bank of Montreal near Springer Market Square from February 1 to 17 (Market Street will be closed to vehicle traffic starting Jan. 27).
The light and sound experience “Spirit of Winter” is a collaborative project between local Cree artists Dakota Ward and Jaylene Cardinal of W.C. Creatives and AVA Animation and Visual Arts.
Ward wrote the story of a young cardinal who stumbles across a bear entering hibernation. The bird (named after Jaylene Cardinal) and the bear (reflecting Ward’s childhood nickname “Coda Bear”) exchange their differing perspectives on life during the cold winter months.
“[The story] shows how we’re all from the natural world and how two different perspectives can still learn from each other,” Ward says. “What I would like people to take away from the story is the idea of having an open mind and being open to learning about our differences.”
To bring Ward’s story to life, Cardinal created nine custom paintings of the bird, the bear, water, trees, and landscapes. Figuring out how various aspects of the story would translate onto her canvases, like how she was going to convey the bear’s connection to the moon and the bird’s connection to the sun, was challenging and rewarding.
“[Custom work] is like a puzzle. You’re given a vision and then you have to decide yourself how you’re going to do it,” Cardinal says..
AVA Animation and Visual Arts transformed Cardinal’s painting into an animated video that will be projected onto the two buildings. The award-winning animation studio made static painted birds fly, and bears trudge along snow-covered landscapes, a process that Cardinal and Ward describe as astonishing. A Cree voice actress narrates the animated story in English, French, Cree, and Ojibwe.
“When [the narrator] says the berries are falling, then you’ll actually see a bunch of berries on City Hall falling with a bird flying through,” Cardinal says.
Ward helped create the music which accompanies the story about the importance of sharing diverse perspectives. His musically talented business partner, Michael Benia, and Ward’s guitarist son, Elijah, also produced the soundtrack that will play from speakers scattered around Springer Market Square.
Originally from Kingston, Ward lived in Edmonton before moving back to his hometown in 2014. The artistic duo then opened a store in Fort Henry where they sold their artwork. Once requests for custom murals on buildings around Kingston increased, they closed their store, and the city became their canvas. After designing murals for Rideau Heights Community Centre and Skeleton Park, they longed for a new project that would push their creative limits.
“We’re always trying to do something different, and the Spirit of Winter installation definitely sounded like something different,” Ward says.
Engaging in this creative process reminded Cardinal of the importance of storytelling to Indigenous communities. During the time of hunting and gathering, storytelling served as a way for Indigenous peoples to pass down knowledge from one generation to the next and helped them get through frigid winters, Cardinal explains.
Ward hopes that both Kingston residents and visitors derive joy from experiencing the installation, even as the sun continues to set early and the temperature dips below freezing.
“The installation is a way for people to escape reality for even 30 minutes and take in the magical efforts that everybody has put in to make this work,” Ward says.
You can check out Cardinal’s paintings displayed at Tir Nan Og (200 Ontario Street) throughout the Spirit of Winter.
Visit Downtown Kingston’s website today for more information on programming during the installation, including a churro and hot chocolate stand by El Gringo and a make your own glow-in-the-dark friendship bracelet workshop.
