The Canadiana Room Story

AThe legends and stories that chronicle the history of Aboriginal people have been – and continue to be – expressed through art. In such a way, classic West Coast imagery is a representation of Pacific Aboriginal literature, illustrating life lessons and creation stories through formline images. Formline style is distinctive of West Coast Aboriginal artistry and is the technique of using curvilinear lines of varying thickness to create a series of shapes that together depict a human or animal figure.

Tlingit artist Clifton Fred, for whom art has always been interwoven with traditional Aboriginal stories, was naturally drawn to this style. He began exploring West Coast Aboriginal art in 1995 and has continued to do so since.

His images often depict a combination of animals, which together illustrate specific stories or express the symbiotic relationships these animals have in nature. The animals depicted in classic West Coast Aboriginal art are those, which define the Pacific coastal landscape such as the Raven, Eagle and Whale. These as well as other animals painted by Fred are featured on the accent wall in the Canadiana Room.

The suite is an embodiment of West Coast Aboriginal art through its emphasis on the style, colour and subjects that make it distinct and which Clifton Fred expresses in his pieces. The rhythmic beating of drums is synonymous with Aboriginal culture, where drums serve to guide storytelling, channel spirituality and connect with nature.

This classic symbol of Aboriginal life was the inspiration behind B+H CHIL Design’s striking accent wall, which centers the Canadiana Room.

Here artist Clifton Fred’s formline animal imagery has been printed within circles of varying sizes, reminiscent of the tops of drums, to symbolize a drum circle. To complement Fred’s red, black and white colour-blocked artwork, B+H CHIL Design chose rustic textual accents in similar colours, which together emphasize the traditional West Coast roots that gave rise to the room’s design.

In its entirety, the Canadiana Room represents classic West Coast Aboriginal art and culture.