Dear friends,
On September 27 and 28, A Lake Story took place in the form of a series processions of over one hundred canoes with 350+ paddlers moving in unison through the recently re-naturalized Don River into Lake Ontario in Toronto. Each carried a silky color field painting made with pigments sourced from the lake and shoreline and activated by the wind.
There is so much to share with you about that weekend and the energy, process, collaborations, and the extraordinary group of people who participated…and I will share much more soon!
For now, I will tell you that A Lake Story has been transformative!
As I take a moment to soak it all in and look for the words that try to come close to describing the experience of A Lake Story, I couldn’t wait to share this short film with you.
Note: I suggest making it full screen and if possible, watching on a screen bigger than your phone for the full detail!
This short film captures both the intimacy and the epic scale of A Lake Story, with insights into the creative process, highlighting my collaborations with dear friends Jason Logan of the Toronto Ink Company, Elder Duke Redbird, our wonderful collaborating paddlers and color bearers, and the whole Lake Story team. Following the on-water performance of A Lake Story, we presented this film at Harbourfront Centre’s Concert Stage during Nuit Blanche.
I am so grateful to have been commissioned to make this work with The Bentway and to everyone who joined in bringing this project to life.
Filmed and Edited by Andrew Williamson
Original Score by Mitchell Akiyama
Drone Operated by Joshua MacDonald
Additional Footage by Vuk Dragojevic and Blake Hannahson
Sound Recording by Maria Yablonina
Commissioned and Presented by The Bentway
Documentary Produced by Anna Gallagher-Ross and Alex Rand
Thank you for being here with me!
Love,
MM
