Creating global connections through art

St. James-Assiniboia

ELIE

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This article was published 30/10/2024 (373 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s easy to feel alienated or alone, especially since COVID-19 changed the world in 2020. However, that feeling community can be closer than one might think.

A case in point? The mural that resulted from the Global Roots mural mosaic project was unveiled in St. James last week.

The national project was launched in 2021 by Alberta-based visual artist Lewis Lavoile (who was present at the unveiling), as a way of connecting people during lockdowns caused by the pandemic. The newest mural decorating the wall of Midland Appliance World, at 1797 Portage Ave., is the 28th finished piece in a wall art series that now spans across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Canada Connects is the name of the Canadian chapter of the project.

“We’re all connected through the roots of the trees,” Lavoile said. “As a little kid, I used to just imagine what that looked like … roots growing underneath roads and buildings and connecting with other roots from other trees and other areas. And now, when I had to come up with a nice metaphor for how I can connect the whole country together, I drew from that childhood memory of how we’re all connected by trees.”

Lavoile was also inspired by the way trees communicate, through a network of fungi connected by tree roots underground, he said. The roots also function as a sort of community — often stringing the plants together.

“In very simple terms, you’ll look up on a hill and you’ll see a tree clinging on to some rocks, and there’s barely any dirt up there, and you’re thinking, ‘Well, how’s that tree living on that cliff?’ … the roots are actually connected to other roots that go all the way down into the valley. And the valley is supplying nutrients and water up to that one tree that’s up there,” he said.

Each mosaic depicts a tree for that reason, Lavoile explained, no matter where it is in the world, and they are put together by Mural Mosaic — created by Lavoile and his brother, Paul — which has been curating and installing similar murals through the same process since 2003.

Tiles for the Global Roots project were submitted digitally, and Mural Mosaic then pieced them together to complete the final project.

Because COVID restrictions have eased since the project was launched, much of the artwork is now created at community events and paint nights — such as a get-together in Elie, Man., orchestrated by Cindy Fenske and the Cartier Senior Citizens Support Committee at the beginning of this year, and a similar event curated by St. James BIZ.

Because of the digital submission process, the local mosaic features contributions from artists both in and out of Manitoba — 2,200 tiles in total. Lavoile wasn’t the only visitor from out-of-province, with people coming from as far as Montreal, Que., to see the finished work.

“We’re super excited,” said Coun. Shawn Dobson (St. James). “Murals do a lot to beautify a neighbourhood. They tell a story, sometimes about our past, our present or maybe our future. This is a love and family mosaic mural, different from the regular painted murals, but very beautiful just the same. I think it will send a very positive message to our community.”

For more information, visit connect.muralmosaic.com