Grove of Souls Event Space and Labyrinth

GROVE OF SOULS EVENT SPACE & LABŸRINTH ᚷᚱᛟᚡᛖ ᛟᚠ ᛋᛟᚢᛚᛋ ᛚᚨᛒᚤᚱᛁᚾᛏᚺ

BASTION SQUARE Nov 20 – Dec 6 2019

Grove of Souls

Event Space & LabrŸnth The voice of your sister cries to me from the ground. Genesis 4:10

Samhain The Season of Remembrance Nov 20 - Dec 6 2019

The Grove of Souls Event Space is an all gender, inclusive, women’s event space and LabyŸnth in Bastion Square between the Yates St Parkade and the Old Courthouse. The idea arose from the July 2019 Global Café on Murdered and Missing Women hosted by the Victoria Native Friendship Centre and the Rainbow Health Co-operative at the Victoria Pride Festival.

2019 Events run from Nov 20 to Dec 6. We are beginning the ongoing installation of the LabŸrinth through a series of short term events. The event space is made up of temporary event fencing covered with solid weather proof fabric, combined with 10 x 10 pop up tents. The tents would be erected on the day of each event and access through the plaza is maintained to other parts of Bastion Square. Fencing panels would remain on site from the first event the last. In 2019 the only panels would be the external enclosure panels, no LabŸrinth panels are included in the installation.

The art panels are durable vinyl panels of graphics, information, or photographs of art pieces. The panels are a one time cost and used again each year. For the Samhain events, the panels reflect on the intersectionality in women’s Indigenous, trans, disabled and sex-worker communities and lead the viewer through contemplation and consideration of Truth, Remembrance, and Reconciliation. The final passage reflects a strengths based call to action. The commonality of our communities is that for the souls lost, a person viewed them as disposable, and society by our actions, demonstrated our complicit agreement with that act of violence and disposal. The event space creates space to witness that history and renew our collective intent for new paths forward. We have returned to this place for the last five years to observe Trans Day of Remembrance as a reminder that this is where our paths crossed those who lived here before us and cared for these territories for thousands of years.

Nov 20: Site Cleansing Ceremony – 2:00 pm This year we are including a ceremony making peace with the spirits that mark this place. It will include cleansing ceremonies of several cultures.

Nov 20: Memorial Art Project Presentation – 4:00 pm During the Victoria Native Friendship Centre’s Two-Spirit Youth Gathering(Nov 6-7), youth complete a medicine wheel artwork using paint, markers and paper under the guidance of a master artist. The piece is then photographed and becomes one of art pieces in the LabŸrinth. On Nov 20 we do a public presentation of the piece and an opportunity for the artists to sign the panel.

Nov 20: Trans Day of Remembrance – 6:00 pm We return again this year for the annual candle vigil and the reading of the list. This year with we have added the ceremony of binding the names to the Memory Wand for release with names of all remembered on December 6.

Nov 30: MMIWG Day of Remembrance – 2:00 pm We will be offering a binding to the Memory Wand to anyone who has lost a person in their life, family or friend as a result of direct or cultural violence for release with names of all remembered on December 6..

Women’s World Aids Day - Dec 1 We gather to focus on how HIV has affected women in all of our communities. We will be offering a binding to the Memory Wand to anyone who has lost a person in their life, family or friend for release with names of all remembered on December 6.

Montreal Women’s Memorial - Dec 6 We finish the season with the binding of the names of the 14 women lost in Montreal in 1989. We release the memories and intentions we have gathered through this Samhain season in a ceremonial burning of the Memory Wand and the intentions bound to them this year.

PARKADE STAIRS

Grove of Souls

Between events the fence line is continuous the length of the existing landscaping area.

OFFICE BUILDING

15.25 m

Event Space & LabrŸnth Bastion Square

GROVE OF SOULS

OFFICE BUILDING

3m

9m

CHANCERY LANE Email: chrys.tei@rainbowhealth.coop Phone: (250) 800 1383

COURTHOUSE

PARKADE STAIRS

Grove of Souls

Event Space & LabrŸnth Bastion Square The fence panels are moved out into plaza for events

2019 configuration is 4 - 10 x 10 tents

GROVE OF SOULS

OFFICE BUILDING

OFFICE BUILDING

9m

CHANCERY LANE Email: chrys.tei@rainbowhealth.coop Phone: (250) 800 1383

COURTHOUSE

A

Exhibit Panels 8' high

RF WHA ST

COURTHOUSE BUILDING

BASTION SQUAR E ST WHARF

The line of the enclosure is 3 m from front edge of planting

6 feet

Between events the vinyl banners can be left in place or removed for increased visibility in the enclosure

Email: chrys.tei@rainbowhealth.coop Phone: (250) 800 1383

10 feet Panel Detail

Grove of Souls

Event Space & LabrŸnth Bastion Square

PARKADE STAIRS

2020 configuration includes the LabŸrinth Installation would remain in place from Nov 1 – Dec 6

Grove of Souls

Event Space & LabrŸnth Bastion Square

EXIT

OFFICE BUILDING

OFFICE BUILDING

GROVE OF SOULS ENTRY

10.7 m

CHANCERY LANE Email: chrys.tei@rainbowhealth.coop Phone: (250) 800 1383

COURTHOUSE

Samhain 2020 The Season of Remembrance Nov 20 - Dec 6 2020

PARKADE STAIRS

The event space may be set up during UVIC’s Moving Trans History Forward Symposium April 4 – 6, 2020

Grove of Souls

Event Space & LabrŸnth Bastion Square EXIT

OFFICE BUILDING

OFFICE BUILDING

GROVE OF SOULS ENTRY

10.7 m

CHANCERY LANE Email: chrys.tei@rainbowhealth.coop Phone: (250) 800 1383

COURTHOUSE

Words without Words

Moving Trans History Forward Symposium April 4 -6

World Aids Day

ᚹᛟᚱᛚᛞ ᚨᛁᛞᛋ ᛞᚨᚤ

Trans Day of Remembrance

GROVE OF SOULS LABŸRINTH

ᛏᚱᚨᚾᛋ ᛞᚨᚤ ᛟᚠ ᚱᛖᛗᛖᛗᛒᚱᚨᚾᚲᛖ ᚷᚱᛟᚡᛖ ᛟᚠ ᛋᛟᚢᛚᛋ ᛚᚨᛒᚤᚱᛁᚾᛏᚺ

All Souls Day

Montreal Women’s Memorial

MMIWG Day of Remembrance

ᚨᛚᛚ ᛋᛟᚢᛚᛋ ᛞᚨᚤ

ᛗᛟᚾᛏᚱᛖᚨᛚ ᚹᛟᛗᛖᚾ'ᛋ ᛗᛖᛗᛟᚱᛁᚨᛚ

ᛗᛗᛁᚹᚷ ᛞᚨᚤ ᛟᚠ ᚱᛖᛗᛖᛗᛒᚱᚨᚾᚲᛖ