New Stanley Park sculpture unveiled
Sculpture depicts early interaction between Europeans and First Nations
A new sculpture commemorating the early interactions between Europeans and First Nations will be unveiled at Brockton Point in Stanley Park Saturday.
The sculpture is four metres tall, carved in wood and cast in bronze.
It tells the story of Joe Silvey, a Portuguese pioneer in search of gold who settled in Coal Harbour in the 1850s with his family. He was married twice to two aboriginal women — Khaltinaht and Kwatleematt, who are also featured in the sculpture.
"It talks about their whole journey together as a family," said Luke Marston, who created the sculpture.
On mobile? Watch how Marston made the sculpture here.
"So many times you think of all the bad things that have happened throughout our history and it's important to know these things, but also we have to look at [the] good things that happened as well."
Marston has a special connection to this project as his great-great grandparents are Silvey and Kwatleematt.
"It's the legacy of our family and not just our family. The legacy of the Portuguese community, the legacy of the First Nations community and essentially Canada when you think about it."
Brockton Point is already rich in carvings depicting aboriginal stories from coastal First Nations artists.
"It is a true honour and to be in the company of all of these great artists that are here, it's pretty amazing," said Marston
The sculpture will be unveiled at Brockton Point in Stanley Park Saturday at 2 p.m..
To listen to the full interview with Luke Marston, listen to the audio labelled New Stanley Park Sculpture