A living architecture, ‘LAKE BLUE’ will lend itself in composition and materials to abstractly tell a story of a lake. This largely scaled and respectfully sourced wool mural borrows colour from natural botanicals inspired by the hues, depth and beauty of our great Lake Ontario.

The organic materials give shape to the physicality of the piece, as well as to its layered meaning. Using lake water and plant essences from indigo, weld, and walnut to infuse raw local wool with rich steadfast vibrant alive colour, the ancient felt making techniques used to bring it all together produce a sustainable material with truly organic origins. This visual and tactile love letter, rooted in compounding nature, will imbue a public space with the energetic properties to transmute busy urban and sometimes cool environments, into a warm and intimate pause.

Nine million people live within the watershed of Lake Ontario, a natural lake many of us are in a symbiotic relationship with, much like each other. ‘Lake Blue’ is an invitation into a deepened awareness of our common connectedness…to each other, to nature and to the great lake herself.

In addition to the window installation the viewer will be invited to explore the making of ‘Lake Blue’ in a digital short following the process from pasture to gallery, as artists Tracy Olan and Jess Koehn move through the project and share their experiences, visually.

The short film will be made available January 21 and run for the duration of the festival, details to be found in the venue window.