Uts'am Witness (3)
By Katherine Dodds On October 14, 2013 | 1 Comments
Picturing Transformation Nexw'ayantsut was a labour of love, and a long time in the making! The books are almost here, but you only have until midnight October 15 to get it for the pre-sale price! Buy the book now!
Before I formed Hello Cool World in 2001 I was a witness to a slice of history first known as the Witness Project, and later as 'Uts'am Witness.' 'Uts'am' is the Squamish word for the Coast Salish Witness ceremony that was at the centre this project.
From it's early days, and for over a decade I watched the project grow from a small 'group with no name" into a community of 10,000 people that saved a rainforest -- and a whole lot more. In 1997, when I wrote one of the first articles about the Witness Project (for the Vancouver Courier) I had no idea Witness would last so long, and turn out to be so important.
Uts'am Witness was co-founded by my dear friends artist and photographer Nancy Bleck, the late mountaineer and conservationist John Clarke, and Squamish Nation Hereditary Chief Bill Williams. I've been deeply honoured to have been entrusted by them to write this book -- Picturing Transformation, Nexw'ayantsut' -- which is about to come out next week. Working on this book project has been a four-year project, but the process of looking back has been so enlightening.
Uts'am Witness was an amazing transformational cross-cultural project that brought together members of the Squamish Nation, artists, environmentalists and the public to experience a Coast Salish Witness Ceremony, on the land, in what was at the time a contested part of the Squamish Nation Territory. It was the days of the infamous 'war in the woods'. The area was known by loggers as "tree farm license 38', by eco-activists as the "Randy Stoltmann Wilderness Area", and by participants in the Witness Camping weekends simply as - Sims Creek. Today, that area has been returned to it's ancestral name of 'Nexw'ayantsut' — place of transformation. -->
Katherine Dodds AKA "Kat" is the founder of Good Company Communications and HelloCoolWorld.com. Trained in renegade advertising & branding through her work with Adbusters in the '90s, Kat's early induction into the possibilities of the web-world was inspired by the term hypertext, which she immediately found comforting. She is dedicated to cause-related communication and to the development and use of tools that promote democratic processes.
|
By Julius Booth On July 23, 2013 | 0 Comments
Julius Booth - HCW's summer intern - has been working on the Uts'am-Witness book project. Check out his video clip "The Witness Ceremony" below!
I’ve been asked as a summer intern at Hello Cool World to write a blog entry about the Uts’am Witness project. Here we go.
The Witness project began in 1997 back when video cameras were clunky and produced footage not fit for 1080p monitors. One of those cameras just happens to be in the editing room right now. I have been transferring hours of footage from tapes of the early Witness Ceremonies using the antique camera and a newly purchased cord that is specifically capable of plugging into the camera and a USB port.
The footage is very cool. I’ve known Kat and Nancy for a long time, seeing them much younger is an interesting experience. As a child from the 90’s there is a surprising lack of home videos in my family, so any footage from that time is a treat to see. The Witness weekends are cool to watch as well. There are songs, dancing and even drum-making lessons. The weekends remind me of a regular summer camp. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went canoeing and told ghost stories around a fire.
Before combing through the hours of footage that chronicle the Witness Project, I was editing my own little trailer/piece for the book. Despite being brand new to Final Cut Pro at the time, coupled with the computer troubles that have been haunting the Hello Cool World office for the last week, I think I did a mighty decent job. Unfortunately, the photos are a bit blurry because I had to screenshot them off a PDF of the Picturing Transformation book BUY IT NOW!!! My piece is about what a traditional witness ceremony is and how it was adapted for the Witness Project. You can watch the video here:
Look for my name in the book! JB
Julius Booth is our Hello Cool World summer marketing intern. Every day, he bikes along the sea wall and is fed amazing lunches which make up for his lack of pay. He is heading to McGill in the fall for his first year of University.
|
By Katherine Dodds On December 18, 2012 | 0 Comments
NOW EVEN BIGGER BARGAINS for items from our online store, + NEW products! 
REMEMBER TODAY IS THE LAST DAY to order in time for Xmas if you choose express delivery options!
Use the promo code PopUpShop2012 at the checkout for 10% off EVERYTHING on our online store, and since we've also put 5% off our ENTIRE inventory, you save 15%.
Even greater savings for 65_RedRoses fans, 25% off with promo code #4EvaHeart (only works on 65_RedRoses items).
Looking for a SPICY stocking stuffer? Or a scathing critique of the 'orgasm product industry'?
Do gooders like to have fun too! Maybe you are looking for something a little more fun for someone you love? We have organic all natural body candy, lube and oils from Good Clean Love + Liz Canner's entertaining documentary expose of the search for the female viagra.
If you are in Vancouver and order online, our Chinatown warehouse (525 Carrall) will be open for a few hours on Saturday Dec 22 for pick up if you want to choose to save on shipping! Call 604 251 5567 for times.
Besides the well known Corporation and 65_RedRoses products, we have some great new titles just in, some of them brand new films. Read below the line for details on new items!
Thank you for supporting our campaigns!
<<First
<Prev
1
Next>
Last>>
