Indigenous artist unveils his Hai Christopher Auchter posing in front of the crab at the Museum of Vancouver. COLETTE COLOSIMO PHOTO a art Mouse Woman sculpture that is on display at the Museum of Vancouver. NICOLETTE COLOSIMO PHOTO A South Van artist sculpts a character from his short Mountain of SGaana By NICOLETTE COLOSIMO aida filmmaker Christo- pher Auchter created a unique take on an ancient Haida fable by focusing on a female protagonist whose story is told without dialogue. Auchter read several traditional versions of the story Mountain of SGaana before adapting it into a short animated film. He is screening the film at a long-term exhibition Indigeneity Rising at the Museum of Vancouver. His first sculpture, Mouse Woman, is also on display. In Auchter’s version of Mountain of SGaana, a young Haida fisherman is lost until he meets a feisty char- acter named Mouse Woman who tells him a story that anchors him to Haida culture. Mouse Woman spins the magi- cal tale by knitting a blanket, and the story unfolds as the blanket gets longer with a colourful array of Haida designs and graphics that have meaning in oral tradition. As the story progresses, the designs change, relaying important events throughout the story. Auchter wanted the female protago- nist to be the heroine, so he altered the traditional story and made the woman dive into the spirit world to save the man she loves. “I don't think a Haida woman would sit around waiting for a Haida man to come rescue them,” Auchter said. The protagonist was modelled after his grandmother, mother and aunts who have been strong figures in his life. Auchter’s sister, Nikita Auchter, sings three Haida songs in the film. The heroine in the animation sings these “Tt just really shows you the talent that exists today in these Indigenous communities.” — SHARON FORTNEY CURATOR OF INDIGENOUS COLLECTIONS AT THE MUSEUM OF VANCOUVER songs to get herself out of trouble. She said she felt connected to the character and enjoyed digging deeper into her heritage through learning these songs. “Tt is important to sing Haida songs because there are very few people in the world that speak Haida fluently,” she said. The story unravels through the char- acters’ actions rather than dialogue. Christopher Auchter said the Haida language is rarely heard in daily life and the lack of dialogue in the video emphasizes its rarity. Shirley Vercruysse, the National Film Board producer of the short film, said the lack of dialogue gives ita global reach. Since there are no language barriers, audiences around the world can discover Haida culture through the film. “The Mountain of SGaana is such a beautiful exploration ... The complex- ity and the richness of it allows for a sense of discovery, going on this jour- ney with a very unique filmmaker, and this story that is so precious to him,” Vercruysse said. Sharon Fortney, the curator of Indig- enous collections at the Museum of Vancouver, said that the exhibit show- cases the creativity and dynamism of Indigenous artists. “Tt just really shows you the talent that exists today in these Indigenous communities,” Fortney said. Auchter said when he sought the story out himself, it made him feel more powerful and grounded because Haida stories are still absent from everyday life. “When you learn a new story, you pull your culture closer into you,” Auchter said. “You become closer to what it is to be Haida, so the stories arent lost.” Studio 58's next play Everybody’ set to excite Angus Yam poses in the poster for ‘Everybody’. E\izy cooper PHOTO Audiences can look forward to a colourful play By ASHLEY BURGOYNE tudio 58 is promising a S captivating set design for its newest production, Every- body. The cast and crew say they are excited to work in a transformed space and say the audience will be surprised to see the theatre. The play, which runs from Nov. 25 to Dec. 3, will feature uniquely sourced props and costumes to go along with the set design. Ben Brown, costume crew member and second year student, said the set design will set the tone for the show. “You're going to be waiting in sort of exciting anticipation for the show to start once you see what the set is looking like,” Brown said. Assistant director and third year student Harmony Yen said the inspiration comes from old English-style theatres. “The design is really strong and captivating, so it's really exciting to bring those images to life,” said Kahlila Ball, second year student and crew head of the props crew. The prop team of seven is work- ing with set designer Emerenne Saefkow. “One thing that we're going to be doing a lot by hand is paper flowers, and that has a special technique that Emerenne has worked on,” said Ball. “Being able to get back into the theatre, and be able to perform a show, in front of actual human beings in the same room is really emotional,” Foy said. Kim Collier, a Studio 58 alumna of 1994, is directing the produc- tion. Yen praised Collier and the experience of getting to work alongside her. “Every time she comes into rehearsal, she brings a very fresh The pla . . erspective was writes | “Everytime she [Collier] | ote how by Branden . she sees this Rebs Jenkins comes into rehearsal, play. said and is a she brings a very fresh Yen. witty take . . The show onthe 1sth_ | DPerspectiveintohowshe | 42. 5 cast of Century sees this play.” 27 actors, m ora | ~ — HARMONY YEN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF making it ity play, EVERYRODY' one of the Everyman. largest casts Jacobs-Jenkins was nominated as a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2018 for Everybody. Yen said that the audience will resonate with the play because of the losses people experienced through COVID-19. “It touches on these really big, profound questions about what it is to be alive and how do we as human beings navigate that,” said Tristen Foy, actor and third year student at Studio 58. Foy spent 2020 at his home in Manitoba to be with his family through the pandemic. Studio 58 has had in recent years. "It presented an opportunity to actually create a chorus,” said Foy, who is one of the nine chorus actors. Costume designer Donnie Tejani, who is working at Studio 58 for the first time, said the audi- ence can anticipate surprises from the show. “I think you can expect a lot of new experiences from this play. It's such a wild script,” he said. Tejani said,adding the costumes reflect the existentialist theme of the play. The original play name is titled The Somonyng of Everyman. The play was first performed at the Charterhouse in London dur- ing the month of July in 1901. The film adaptation of the play was shot in 1913 and produced by Kinemacolor. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins adapta- tion premiered in 2017 at the Pershing Square Centre in NYC. SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA.COM