Indigenous Peoples Experience
iyiniwak okiskêyihtamowiniwaw
A large-scale immersive multimedia installation at Fort Edmonton Park.
MOU Partners, the Métis Nation of Alberta and the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations
Tyler's contributions:
- All animated text panels, moon cycle motion graphics
- Compositing support for corridor animations
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Gather and explore life through the diversity of First Nations' and Métis peoples' histories, cultures, experiences, and perspectives, local to Indigenous life in the Beaver Hills, or Edmonton region.
Deep conversations with over fifty Indigenous Elders, historians, educators, and community members informed the content. The stories, music, artwork, and text in the experience come from local Indigenous perspectives and voices, gathered through engagement with local Indigenous communities, historical documents, and research.
These stories, teachings, and memories have been passed through millennia. They reflect a rich and resilient history and deep connection to the land and seasons. Whether in Cree, Dene, Anishinaabe, Nakota, Blackfoot, or Michif, this shared knowledge is timeless. It does not just exist in the past. It is here today.
TYLER'S NOTES:
It was an honour to contribute to the new Indigenous Peoples Experience at Fort Edmonton Park. This massive, purpose-built permanent exhibition is a beautiful and engaging exploration of the history and relations of the peoples of our province.
I had two contributions to the exhibition. First, under the direction of the Hidden Story Productions creative team, I created and composited all of the text pieces for the main corridor. These are projected onto huge screens, on loop, featuring many Indigenous language explainers linked to the physical elements of the project. I also created animated "moon wheels" using assets provided by Hidden Story. These text pieces are projected on a dozen or so screens, looping in-between the featured animated content.
My second contribution was working with the main animation contractor on the project, E.D. Films, to do some final compositing for a number of what they called "moon moments". The screens in the exhibit would periodically play these animations along with audio and lighting changes, as feature elements along this corridor.
With E.D. I was responsible to compositing and final outputs for these moon moments. They supplied the image sequences, animatics, and templates, and I put them all together. Some additional animation and motion graphics was supplied from my end, depending on the shot.
There is a massive amount of video content in this exhibit; my contributions were limited to the main corridor, which visitors first encounter when entering the building. There is a Métis cabin after the corridor, and a reconciliation circle at the end; I did not contribute to those aspects. They are breathtaking, though.
I am so proud to have been a small part of this award-winning project. Thanks to Hidden Story and E.D. Films for bringing me on. If you're ever in Edmonton, I recommend swinging by the Park to check it out! It's an incredible, immersive experience.