HELD – Colour stories from the land explores feelings of kinship. Silk scarves created by Melanie Monique Rose serve as a link between the artist’s Metis and Ukrainian heritage. Through the process of creating these scarves, Melanie hopes to create her own ultimate Kokum scarf or Babushka as an ode to her ancestors and an exploration of relationships between the Metis and Ukrainian settlers. The materials used as part of natural dyeing processes are gathered thoughtfully and respectfully from the land of Treaty 4, whispering their stories back. The natural materials collected from the land raise questions surrounding the transmission of Ancestral knowledge. If we are unable to learn directly from our ancestors can the plants we encounter act as conduits for this knowledge? Through the experience of gathering regional flora the artist also gathers ancestral teachings as she ponders how her fore-bearers have used these plants before her. Were they used for medicine, food, or perhaps colour? The action of imprinting flowers and other botanical subjects onto silk scarves helps capture these precious stories in time, preserving their memories and teachings within the fabric.

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