Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal 2013 - part 4
In 2013, the Montreal International Mosaïcultures exhibition was at the Montreal Botanical Garden. The theme was Earth of Hope. With 48 spectacular works from 18 countries, the Botanical Garden was transformed into a wonderland from June 22 to September 29. The exhibition has been extended to October 6 for people to see the works awarded by the jury and by the public.
On June 9, 2013, I was fortunate enough to have a day pass; I was able to visit and photograph the mosaicultures as they were being assembled. Here are my best photos taken before, during, and after this sensational exhibition. The works are numbered from 1 to 48, as in the order of the plan in 2013.
I made eight projects of six works to show you all the horticultural and environmental creations of this exhibition. A ninth project will soon follow with the 25 award-winning works.
Here is a short video that quickly shows the assembly of some works.
In this project you will see mosaicultures & art works from : England, Finland & Canada.
19. England – Heather Jansch – Hope and Odyssey
Hope and Odyssey are the second environmental works presented at MIM2013.
Hope (the foal) and Odyssey (the mare) were created by Heather Jansch, a British sculptor whose genius is recognized throughout the UK.
Passionate about drawing and horses, Heather Jansch is known for her life-size horse sculptures created from driftwood. She carefully selects the driftwood branches to use in a way that creates the effect she is looking for. It takes Heather Jansch more than 6 months to create a single horse.
This great artist created Hope and Odyssey especially for MIM2013, whose theme of Land of Hope inspired and interested her.
While looking at Heather Jansch's profile Profile Artist Heather Jansch driftwood & bronze horse ... I was sad to read that she died the 5th of July 2021.
In 2013, I really admired her works Hope and Odyssey, and even now when I look at her creations, I find them sensational and so beautiful.
20. England – The Uffington White Horse
For the Mosaicultures Internationales exhibition, a smiller replica of Uffington White Horse work was made with plants.
For MIM, the most likely hypothesis is that of an engraving dedicated to the cult of Epona, goddess of horses in Gallic Celtic mythology.
While researching, I found other hypotheses and all are interesting
While researching, I found other hypotheses and all are interesting
"The Uffington White Horse is a prehistoric hill figure, 110 m . 360 ft, long, formed from deep trenches filled with crushed white chalk. [...] The best views of the figure are obtained from the air, or from directly across the Vale, [...] The site is owned and managed by the National Trust and is a scheduled monument. The Guardian stated in 2003 that "for more than 3,000 years, the Uffington White Horse has been jealously guarded as a masterpiece of minimalist art." The Uffington Horse is by far the oldest of the white horse figures in Britain and is of an entirely different design from the others inspired by it.
The horse is thought to represent a tribal symbol perhaps connected with the builders of Uffington Castle. It is similar to horses depicted on Celtic coinage.
Another theory proposed by University of Southampton archaeologist Joshua Pollard points to the horse's alignment with the sun, particularly in midwinter when the sun appears to overtake the horse, to indicate that it was created as a depiction of a "solar horse", reflecting mythological beliefs that the sun was carried across the sky on a horse or in a chariot."
21. Canada – Edmundston – Sharing the Riches of the Land
The Edmundston Botanical Garden (JNBN) celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2013. Since its opening in 1993, the JNBN has been helping to raise awareness among its visitors and community about the importance of protecting the environment and ensuring its sustainable management.
JBNB partnered with the Madawaska Maliseet community (Wolastoqiyik Nation) to present a work entitled " Sharing the Riches of the Land" as part of MIM 2013.
Currently, the total registered population of the Madawaska Maliseet community is 374 people.
22. Canada – Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador
Christine Sioui Wawanoloath - Born With the Sun
The collective imagination of the First Nations is populated with zoanthropic beings. These half-human, half-animal characters take center stage in this work designed by Christine Sioui Wawanoloath.
The artist had made the sketch to represent the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador and the First Nations Education Council at the Mosaïcultures of Montreal in 2013.
The sculptors and gardeners of the Montreal Mosaïculture had created the sculpture "Born with the Sun" which is the title of her sketch.
Christine's graphic design is so beautiful with these legendary characters, so it's not surprising that the work won the Grand Honorary Award of the National Awards.
Christine Sioui Wawanoloath explains that native legends abound with metamorphoses at the beginning of the world.
"Here, the father-bird pays homage to the celestial and spiritual universe, while the mother-race sows the seeds of the future on this earth. They do this for their child, who will remember his origins and grow up in harmony with all his kin. Their canoe is a new world filled with hope and dreams to be spread in the four directions of our earth.
As an explanation for tribal and clan origins, the various legends of Native American mythology often propose the idea that the ancestors were bear shifters. These fantastic animals were able to remove their skin and take on human form, with the males even marrying human women in this guise in some accounts. Because their offspring could inherit some of the anatomy of these animals, the children could be very beautiful, but, depending on the version, be endowed with a strange strength, or be shapeshifters themselves."
23. Canada – Montreal – Mother Earth
Originating from North American native culture, the Mother Earth work was inspired by a speech that Chief Seattle is said to have given in 1854, during his meeting with the then President of the United States, Franklin Pierce. This speech, given in the context of the U.S. purchase of Native American lands, illustrates the relationship of our continent's first inhabitants to nature.
In this speech, the excerpt that served as the basis for Mother Earth's work can be read:
"The white Man shall treat the beasts of this land as his brothers...
... we are part of this earth as it is part of us, the fragrant flowers are our sisters, the deer, the horse, the great eagle are our brothers; the crests of the mountains, the juices of the prairies, the warm body of the pony, and man himself, all belong to the same family."
To read the entire speech given by Chief Seattle, click this link. Barack Obama read it in 2006: We are part of the earth and it is part of us | Letters In ...
24. Finland – Helsinki – The Swan Song
It is not surprising to see a swan representing Finland. It is the national bird of the country. Evoking grace, elegance and beauty, the swan is also a symbol of the fragility of life on the planet.
These birds are among the largest that can fly and will spend part of their lives migrating. Although they are not endangered, they benefit from the protection measures inherent in the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement*.
The term "swan song" is said to come from an ancient legend in which a mute swan (the name of the species) was reported to have given a beautiful song seconds before it died.
Six distinct species cover different territories on the planet. The members of the species found in the Northern Hemisphere are white or gray, while those of the two species found in the Southern Hemisphere are either entirely black (black swan, in Oceania) or partially black (black-necked swan, in South America).
The trumpeter swan, once widespread in North America, almost became extinct in the early 20th century, hunted for its meat and down. By the 1930s, only 66 remained in the Yellowstone Park area of the United States. After being re-established, notably in Alaska, the species has come back to life. There are about 18,000 individuals in North America.
*Here you can read this agreement available in the following languages: English, French, Arabic, Russian and Portuguese: Agreement Text
In the summer of 2022, for the first time, the Montreal International Mosaicultures exhibition
will be in Quebec City, at Bois-de-Coulonge Park.
