Jardins de Metis - “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ It”

Reford Gardens, PQ, Canada | 2020

Gardens, like stories, reflect the perceptions, relationships, beliefs and attitudes of a particular people. First Nations peoples have long used storytelling to pass knowledge from generation to generation; a traditional method used as a foundation for holistic and experiential learning, and relationship building.

Inspired by the “Red River Jig”, a traditional dance of the Mètis, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ It” prompts visitors to move within and around a double-sided birch wall folding upon itself; inner bark (birch ply) becomes outer bark (birch bark sheets). Symbols and traditions of the Mètis are abstracted, conflated even, eliciting visitors to interact with the sinuous wall in a sort of slide-step around its perimeter. Chasing each other infinitum in a figure-eight formation, one completes the journey but not the dance.

Baroque in expression, charcoal outlines emphasize a brightly coloured floral motif against a parterre of crushed white gravel. Reminiscent of the vibrant culture of decorative arts that embodied First Nations beadwork and French embroidery, visitors are encouraged to narrate “their stories” in charcoal on the inner bark of the birch walls. With each visitor, traditions, culture, history, and way of life are woven through the patterns, material, and strands of the garden.