Thunder and the Orphan - Art Book
A poem by Dawn van de Schoot with artwork by Kelly Isaak
Thunder and the Orphan is a collaborative art project that celebrates the landscape of Alberta in a quest for place and belonging. It
brings together poetry, art bookmaking, digital media and community engagement through the development of a concertina art book and
corresponding digital booklet, and showcases the work of Calgary artists.
Artwork
Kelly Isaak handcrafted a concertina art book from hinged birch frames, and illustrated layered drawings inspired by the poem.
Poem
Dawn's poem was etched into the back of the birch frame.
Print version
Digital print
With the design expertise of Barb Briggs, the art book was digitized and also made into a print version for distribution.
Concertina book making workshop
Sharing the experience
Because the content of the book is rooted in the landscape of Alberta, our goal was to include indigenous ways of knowing in the experience of the book development. In partnership with the Calgary Public Library's Indigenous Services, and under the guidance of Elder Adrian Wolfleg, we conducted a community engagement workshop in concertina book making incorporating elements of the Treaty Seven landscape into the artwork.
Celebration and Launch event
Experience
The final art book is now on display at Resilient New Media and we were honoured to host an opening celebration event to share all of our hard work. The book is now ready to be exhibited worldwide as a celebration of the Alberta landscape through poetry and art.