‘namaxsala Puzzle 504 Pieces
$27.99
‘namaxsala in Conversation with Parliament at Dawn is a sculpture by Mary Anne Barkhouse on the grounds of the Canadian History Museum, in Gatineau. The wolf, on a boat, is looking at the parliament of Canada.
We speak of a language ‘barrier’ when we do not understand another’s expressions. But when we take care to listen, we come to learn that other languages hold meaning beyond a simple translation; they colour our interpretation of the world itself. ‘namaxsala is a Kwakwala word meaning “to travel in a boat together.” This single word evokes a shared fate and highlights our need for critical introspection as a country. The elegance and dignity of Barkhouse’s installation, locked in a perpetual gaze with Parliament, equals the prescience and eloquence of this deceptively simple sentiment.
Mary Anne Barkhouse belongs to the ‘Namgis band of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation of British Columbia. She currently resides in the Haliburton Highlands of Ontario.
While trapped in the house during a freakish -46 C coldsnap in 2018, co-founders Michael Bainbridge and Brigitte Gall started a jigsaw puzzle company and set about to create unconventional designs that would appeal to other art nerds and science geeks.
