saʔtitkʷ - the river - is more than water. It is a living relation, an ancestor, and a teacher that carries our laws and responsibilities. As syilx people, we are taught that siwɬkʷ - water - has spirit and agency, and must be respected and cared for because it gives life to all beings. The Okanagan Water Declaration reminds us that water is a sacred gift and the lifeblood that connects everything; this teaching lives not only in words, but in how we move across the land.

This suspended installation takes the form of a möbius strip woven from tule gathered at the river’s edge. With no clear beginning or end, the form reflects the river’s continuous movement and renewal. Tule mats were central to syilx life, lightweight homes that could be carried along the river for trade, visiting, harvesting, and ceremony. The river was our pathway, connecting us to other communities, teachings, and ways of knowing, from inland to the coast.

By weaving tule into this looping form, I reflect on how knowledge travels through movement. Suspended in space, the work becomes a mobile home and a reminder that to move with water is to accept responsibility: to listen, remember, and carry these relationships forward for future generations.

Continuum

Currently on view as part of the group exhibition

“Every River Has A Mouth: The Visual Languages That Connect Us” curated by Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun

at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Vancouver BC

Feb. 14th 2026 - Feb. 14th 2027