Solstice at Carnegie on December 21st was such a magical way to wrap up this beautiful residency!
We built a custom designed labyrinth, one of the few free ones in the city.
Our deep commitment to universally accessible design and art activation has been a key theme through this residency. The labyrinth was designed specifically to be wide enough for mobility aids of all kind, which is often not the case.
The labyrinth was anchored in the middle by a wish tree, a tradition we first come across in a small Eastern Mediterranean village in Turkey.
As with so much of what we've done for the residency, the willow branches were salvaged from a muddy spot next to a rail track.
Strips of cloth were provided along with markers for people to make wishes for solstice, the new year or whatever they wish. All mother tongues, visual wishes and other forms were welcomed and encouraged.
The results were beautiful!
Surrounding the labyrinth, there was a station with the lanterns made by DTES community members for Diwali. Another station featured all the shadow puppets from the Tales of Shadow and Light play, which proved very popular with people wanting to try their hand at shadow puppetry!
Our food station with hot chocolate and tea provided generously by Carnegie Centre was greatly appreciated as were the art tables where Cambium and Parks staff hosted the creation of beautiful holiday paper art and stained glass ornament making to decorate the wish tree and take home!
The night filled with conversations in many languages as people shared food, made art, watched a slideshow of photos from the residency, meditated through the labyrinth and in many cases, simply sat in the warm, glowing space.
We met new friends and saw old ones. Some of our friends from the play showed up, including the #20 bus!
Stories were exchanged about being Iranian truck drivers on the route from Kabul to Karachi, how to make proper pupusas from a mother's recipe, what solstice means in various cultures including those Indigenous to these unceded lands. Multiple ages came together, from teens to elders.
The night would not have been possible without the incredible Carnegie and Parks staff. We are forever in gratitude that we got to work with such a wonderful and supportive crew of people who are so clearly dedicated to the DTES community!
There is talk of making this an annual event so stay tuned! In a magical community like the DTES, you never know what might happen!
