That Which Sustains Us

That Which Sustains Us was created by a curatorial collective that included Musqueam, Squamish, and Tseil-Waututh cultural experts as well as environmental historians and forestry researchers. The curators were supported by specialists in climate change, water quality, and biodiversity, and the exhibition was designed by architects Chad Manley and Daniel Irving, who used a variety of wood and paper elements to highlight the importance of forest resources in daily life.

For instance, the intricate Movement display utilizes innovative woodworking techniques while touching upon themes of resettlement, land clearing, and immigration. It includes a vessel shaped on one end as a Salish canoe and on the other as a whale’s tale, while paper wings that hang above it evoke a dragonfly.