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Ininaatig

Sugar Maple Tree

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About Us

We are a group of passionate students from the University of Waterloo’s Global Business and Digital Arts program, dedicated to exploring the power of digital media to bring communities together. Our team is excited to contribute to Lights on Stratford, creating an interactive media installation that reflects the vibrancy and history of Stratford. Blending creativity, technology, and storytelling, we aim to offer participants a unique, immersive experience that celebrates both the past and the future of our beloved sugar maple tree. Join us as we transform light into an unforgettable journey through Stratford’s local landscapes.

Our Team

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Project

This installation will reimagine this tree’s lifecycle in the past and

present in a world where it’s undisrupted by human activity— and

also explore some of the Indigenous ideology surrounding trees.

 

The concept is based on the community history of this tree, Indigenous folktale surrounding sugar maples in North America, and Indigenous beliefs on the human connection to nature (hence the title “Ininaatig,” which translates to “sugar maple tree”).

 

This project will include illustrations of the tree at various stages of its life, paired with illustrations representing figures from traditional Indigenous stories. Viewers will be able to view the tree at different stages of its life by walking. Motion tracking will change the image shown based on the position of the person.

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Figures Mockups
Design for the Main Tree
Leaves Design
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Tree Designs

This installation dives into its past through presenting the maple sugar tree as symbol that is sustained through generational connections. Incorporating Indigenous Anishinaabe teachings is a significant insight to seeing the tree existing on its own accord, removing it from human activity. By reimagining the tree in a world untouched by humans, the viewer is made to see that the tree doesn’t need humanity for its survival.

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Therefore, the installation aims to promote the Indigenous idea of one-ness with the tree. We take care of it, and in turn, it takes care of us. In that sense, the tree is not only living, but also more-than-human.

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The interaction with the installation engages and challenges participants to empathize with non-human entities and to recognize the tree’s ongoing relevance of traditional and local ecological practices

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