12 mois pour Noëlla

With this project, I sought to explore rootedness – in community, in time and in location. This long wall faces a retirement community, mostly Quebecers, and I wished not only to remind them of their pasts but also draw their attention to our future. I illustrated 12 local edible plants, organized by months during which they can be foraged, from January to December.

Being of both Greek and Québécois descent, I grew up with the imported flavours of oregano, mastixa and maxlepi, among others. Many others brought their flavours with them, be they French, British or from elsewhere still. I’ve been feeling however that with rootedness and earthly gratitude one must also discover and integrate local flavours and their rich offerings.

I undertook the conception of the mural somewhat blindly, knowing that which I was aiming for without knowing much about what it entails. The creative process was sine of revelation, discovering and pondering my role on these unceded lands. My grand-maman Noëlla, borne of the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu farmlandwoupd create landscape illustrations out of meticulously gathered and dried flowers plants and moss: my first exposure to the diverse local flora. I wanted to channel the love she had for these lands, a generous and unexpectant love. The gilded writing is an homage to her practice of elevating her most precious writing with golden inks.

In her book “Braiding Sweetgrass”, which I only finished after finishing the mural, Robin Wall Kimmerer speaks of “White Man’s Footstep” (Plantain Major’s) which arrived here with the first Europeans which went everywhere they did and resembles a footstep. Nevertheless, it shares its medicinal qualities with the land, flora and fauna where it is found without harming or overstepping. She points to the plant as a way forward for settlers to relate to the land ourselves.

With global warming and food scarcity, foraging has become a popular topic in certain circles. My hope is that it can go farther than mere survivalism and return us to its abundant and enriching flavours. How would we behave if we returned to seeing forests as bountiful and nourishing?

This process of creation led to much reflection on my relationship to the lands and nature I am a part of as well as how I might become their warden.

For more information on this mural visit:
https://www.bosnyart.com/portfolio-collections/murals/12-mois-pour-noella

Where to Find This Mural

Location: 300 Pl. des Brises, Lachine, QC H8S 4M2 Get Directions

Accessibility: The mural is located in the parking lot behind a residence for the elderly