The Interpreter Project
The Interpreter Project, is an artist-in-residence project at Richmond Nature Park from February to November 2019. The artist led a series of public events and workshops exploring the process of interpretation through stories, nature and culture. This project is presented in partnership with the Richmond Nature Park Society and is part of the 2019 Engaging Artists in Community Program for Richmond Public Art.
The newt, a local indigenous creature which is vulnerable as it cannot see nor hear well, is a source of inspiration for the project and metaphor for the park. Taking the creature’s limitations as a form of wisdom, The Interpreter Project seeks to provide an opportunity for participants to slow down and focus on the silent wonders of nature through isolating the senses.
For more information: theinterpreterproject.weebly.com
The newt, a local indigenous creature which is vulnerable as it cannot see nor hear well, is a source of inspiration for the project and metaphor for the park. Taking the creature’s limitations as a form of wisdom, The Interpreter Project seeks to provide an opportunity for participants to slow down and focus on the silent wonders of nature through isolating the senses.
For more information: theinterpreterproject.weebly.com
Hidden Stories - August 24, 2019
The interactive installation is inspired by a series of one on one conversations between the artist and the community called Story Exchange. These exchanges were conducted at Richmond Nature Park during the months of June to July 2019. With the artist, participants created a visual map of their relationship with nature starting with their connection to the land and followed by the senses of touch, sight, smell, hearing, taste and memory. The artist then interpreted each of these stories into an illustrated scene and is installed back into the nature to which it came.
Photo credit: Bor Yan
Installation assistant: Shanna Cheng
Photo credit: Bor Yan
Installation assistant: Shanna Cheng
Passages - selected pages
The legacy book was inspired by the newt which has been a source of inspiration for The Interpreter Project. The Richmond Nature Park has a retired newt named Newton, who’s personality is the model for the book. He has been a resident of the park since the early 2000’s. The book expresses the themes of time and the abstracted visual exploration of the senses. It includes illustrations by the artist, as well as artworks created by the community in the Sensory Workshops and Open Studios.