Raising Lights
by Qwul’thilum (Dylan Thomas)
Description
An LED light painting representing a house post, located on the east wall of the Douglas Street foyer.
It is part of Sacred an Indigenous multi-media art display at City Hall that showcases a range of traditional and contemporary art forms created by eight emerging and established Indigenous artists.
Curated by Indigenous curator Rose Spahan with the assistance of artist Eli Hirtle, Sacred features artworks throughout City Hall in a variety of media, including an indoor mural, an LED light painting, an outdoor projection, a short film, a poem, a series of photographs, and a series of silkscreened prints. All artworks have been created by Indigenous artists living on Vancouver Island.
About Qwul’thilum (Dylan Thomas)
Dates
Victoria, BC, Canada, 1986
Biography
Dylan Thomas (Qwul’thilum) is a Coast Salish artist and member of the Lyackson First Nation, through his grandfather, Clifford Thomas. He also has Songhees heritage through his great grandmother, Mary Moody (of the Albany family), Squamish heritage though his great grandfather, George Moody, and Snuneymuxw heritage through his grandmother, Doris Josephson (from the Wyse family). Dylan was introduced to Coast Salish art at a young age because his family continues to participate in their culture and tradition.
Resume
Dylan’s artwork has been published in The Journal of Mathematics and the Arts (Taylor and Francis), and in Contemporary Art on the Northwest Coast by Karen & Ralph Norris. In 2013, Dylan was featured in the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s Urban Thunderbirds/Ravens in a Material World art show, and in 2016, Dylan held his first solo exhibit, titled Sacred Geometry, at Alcheringa Gallery in Victoria. Dylan has also extensively studied other forms of traditional geometric art, and his work has been deeply influenced
by Vajrayana Buddhist mandalas, Celtic knots, Islamic tessellations, and many other ancient geometric art traditions.
Website
Details
Artwork Type
First Nations
Medium
LED lights
Unveiled Date
6/21/2018
Year Unveiled
2016
Month Unveiled
6
Site
Victoria City Hall
Artwork Category
Civic Public Art
Artwork Selection Process
Civic: Invitational / Commissioned
Location
Victoria > Downtown