Woven Relations - Cool Gardens 2025

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Woven Relations | by Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba

Cool Gardens 2025 Invited Installation

Woven Relations is an Indigenous medicine and plant garden located at The Forks in Winnipeg, between the Promenade and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Designed in the form of a spiral braided sweetgrass, it offers a space for urban medicine harvesting and cultural connection for the Indigenous community. The garden symbolizes interconnectedness—among people, plants, and the natural world—and features diverse medicinal plants in accessible beds.

Through summer workshops, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous visitors can learn about traditional teachings, proper harvesting protocols, and the preparation of medicines. Built using recycled materials and designed to evoke wild harvesting experiences, Woven Relations fosters community gathering, healing, and storytelling. Before deinstallation, a final harvest and celebration will be held. The project aims to deepen understanding of Indigenous knowledge and strengthen connections across the wider Winnipeg community.

Led by Professor Frits Van Loon, the group is composed of students from the Faculty of Architecture, representing both the landscape architecture and architecture streams at various stages of their education. Each member brings unique skills and perspectives—ranging from design and planning to hands-on building and storytelling. Notably, many team members come from diverse regions around the world, bringing with them an understanding of the importance of Indigenous knowledge and teachings, which forms a core aspect of their project, Woven Relations. Through this experience, the group aims to create opportunities for learning, connection, and the fostering of meaningful relationships—both within the team and with the broader community.

Team members: Frits Van Loon, Kellen Deighton, Maggie Cramb, Busola Ayoola, Shiza Jawed, Eva Hagel MacPherson, Yanchi Liu, Jory Thomas & Jane Santa Ana

Liens

• Cool Gardens 2025 storefrontmb.ca
• Storefront Manitoba storefrontmb.ca

Organisateur

Storefront Manitoba

Storefront Manitoba is a non profit organization with charitable status that advances critical discussion, exploration, and celebration of design culture in Manitoba.