Deep In Summer

I didn't think I would make it through the wildcard selection process for Deep Summer 2023. I saw who I was up against and the talent pool was, unsurprisingly, deep. When they announced that I had taken the wild card spot in Crankworx’s photographer competition, I was elated and scared all at once. This left only two weeks to plan a slideshow that was to be shot in 72 hours. Having competed before as an athlete and as a photographer, I knew the 3 days were intense, at the whim of the weather, and didn't allow many hours of sleep.

I set to work immediately looking for a theme or a story. Deep Summer had partnered with theSquamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre (SLCC), collaborating on a creative brief to create awareness and/or have a creative land acknowledgment. I racked my brain for days on how to incorporate the brief in a meaningful way. 

After reaching out to Indigenous Women Outdoors and spending a whole day at the SLCC wandering through its powerful halls, Alison Pascal, the curator of the the centre, set the wheels in motion. She mentioned how UNCEDED, a recent exhibit by Logan Swayze, took flight when Logan began to explore what the word Unceded meant to him. Through this, I was able to examine what a land acknowledgment really means and internalize its words. The slideshow took on the direction of its own acknowledgment of the place that we are visiting: Whistler.

I hoped my show would showcase the people, their history, the rich indigenous culture, important landmarks to the Squamish and Lil'wat Nations, and something very special that occurs on this land: mountain biking. 

Events like this one are hard but they are so amazing. It was a chance to use my camera to the point that I was turning down f-stops in my sleep. I also learned a lot about the indigenous people that have called Whistler home as a result of this project and for that, I am forever grateful.

Lastly, spending time with your friends in the woods, on bikes, and making art - it really doesn't get much better than that.