ayukwenodih | City of Pickering

September 04, 2024

Public Art

ayukwęnǫdih ("they have found their voice", in Wyandot) is a new permanent public artwork by by Javid JAH, Alex Akbari & Catherine Tàmmaro installed at the intersection of Kingston Rd and Whites Rd in Pickering.

ayukwenodih is a site-specific story of the continuous evolution of trade. This trade is beyond economic terms - it encompasses the exchange of ideas and an openness to education. In our public art practice, we use geometry as a lens to feature the main characters of the stories we tell. For us, this notion of a trade route is best expressed through the movement of a spiral. The “goods” or fruits of the trade are like a crystal, expressing openness through a void in its 3D geometry. The intersection of these geometric forces creates a balance between the curved and the linear, between presence and absence, between history and a projection of the future. To achieve this, the Artist Javid Jah, has invited Wyandot Elder Catherine Tammaro to be a collaborative artist on the project, sharing her experience and perspective on how this sculpture is a representation of finding our Voice.

About the Artwork:

The sculpture proposes a spiral as an Ancestral symbol equated with finding voices imbued in the land. The Spiral is akin to the inner apparatus of the ear as in hearing of voices latent within the land. In Wyandot culture, special individuals were understood to be able to hear the voices of the natural world. The layers of significance embedded in this form make it a dynamic symbol for the historic presence of the indigenous pathway that was colonized and transformed into Hwy 2. We want to create space to reflect on this important history through this piece.

The spiral also moves energy on site that helps to achieve a sense of balance. Its implied movement counteracts the lopsided placement of the artwork on the gravel bed. In addition, by massaging the spiral, we create a form that responds to the morphology of the intersection, as expressed in the diagram to the right. These thoughtful yet subtle changes invite pedestrians to sit and reflect on the presence of the artwork that is aligned to the built forms and the history of the site. Upon reflection, some may recognize the prevalence of copper in spiral forms used in the healing arts, such as crystal grids. They may understand that the reason for this is that copper is an excellent conductor of electricity, supporting the efficient movement of energy. Some may recognize that the spiral also expresses the notion of resistance - that it won’t conform easily - aptly representing the legacy and longevity of traditions that have stewarded this land for generations which musn’t be forgotten despite our secular, economically-oriented priorities.

Finally, a foundation of my art practice as well as Catherine’s is the connection public art engenders with larger cosmic phenomena. Reflected in the way beans grow up the cornstalk, nature moves in spirallic forms as expressed in many geo-spiritual sites all over the world. It echoes movement in celestial spaces as well as visualized as orbital. Often honoring the feminine in contrast to the linear symbolizing masculine, the spiral is an opportunity to connect the site with marginalized yet universal voices of the underlying, often hidden nature of reality.