Musqueam Symmetry in Motion
by Shannon Dooling ~ September 20th, 2010. Filed under: Musqueum/ Marine Drive.Vivian Campbell, a local Musqueam Weaver, has had a long standing relationship with the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, beginning when she was a teenager participating in the Native Youth Program and most recently as one of the featured artists at the museum’s first annual World Art Market.
WAM!, as the museum referred to the event, was conceived “in response to the growing demand for marketing opportunities for indigenous artists worldwide.” Vivian Campbell, a local Musqueam Weaver, was one such artist in attendance.
On Saturday, she and her loom were tucked back in the temperature controlled workspace of the Textile Research Room, offering demos and answering questions from visitors. Two samples of her work laid on the table in the center of the room. One of the wall hangings exhibited multiple styles and patterns of weaving in mostly neutral hues and the other, full of vibrant yellows and pinks, highlighted what Campbell referred to as her signature design style; symmetry.
“Every weaver has their own signature style,” Campbell said. She explained that a signature evolves along with skills over time.
Campbell’s lessons started back in 1997, when master weavers Debra and Robyn Sparrow began sharing with her the language of the loom. As featured in the 1986 book, Hands of our Ancestors: the revival of Salish weaving at Musqueam, the Sparrow sisters had embarked on a journey to renew the traditional art form. Campbell became a part of the movement and 13 years later, the language and the art of weaving passed down from her ancestors stills lives within her.
In a culture with modest amounts of written history, oral traditions and ancient art forms serve as windows to the past and bridges to the future. Campbell explained that her ancestors vicariously transfer information and messages thru weaving. “When I’m sitting at the loom,” she said, “those ancestors are right behind me.”
To learn more about upcoming events and exhibits go to the museum’s website at moa.ubc.ca/events/.
