TRAVERSE/CROSS/BRIDGE/COMMUTE

2021

traverse/cross/bridge/commute responds to the history of Wolastoq/St. John River as a site of traversing and crossing place. Archival imagery of the harbour and traditional words of greeting remind viewers of historical efforts to traverse/cross/bridge significant natural barriers, pointing to the role of both small-scale and large-scale efforts to maintain interconnectedness and interdependence between communities.

While we can now cross Wolastoq/St. John harbour and river with relative ease and speed via bridges and ferries, I hope my project will remind viewers of the historical effort to maintain human connection across this natural threshold, and more importantly, how this connection was/is forged through both large-scale or laborious activities (physically crossing the harbour itself in a vessel, construction of bridges, creation of ferry systems, etc.) and also through minute gestures with cumulative effects (greeting or acknowledgements between individuals).