Sheree McLeod Inuvik Satellite Station Facility 2018
Artist Sheree McLeod was selected to design the unusual canvas of a satellite dish as part of the Inuvik satellite mural project, initiated by Natural Resources Canada in 2017. Proposed as a Canada 150 initiative, the project aimed to reflect the Government of Canada’s commitment to reconciliation. Organizers commissioned murals by artists to represent the three main Indigenous groups who inhabit the Inuvik area, which include the Inuvialuit, Gwitchin First Nation and the Métis. McLeod’s design was selected by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation to represent the region’s Inuvialuit denizens. McLeod’s design depicts a traditional blanket toss scene with the seer thrown high, scanning the horizon and the pullers colourfully clad in bright parkas holding a sewn hide blanket taught. “The blanket toss brings people together. It’s a community event,” explains McLeod, who compares the utility of the satellite and the blanket toss, citing both as tools of surveying that allow us to see beyond the limits of our usual vantages, whether it be scanning for game or downlinking Earth observation data. The satellites posed unusual obstacles for the technicians, who had to perform the work of installing the mural on the satellite within small windows of time while the antennas were between receiving signals. Adding to the challenge, work on the murals could only occur when the temperature was above 10ºC and when conditions were dry, otherwise the artwork would not adhere properly. The colourful blanket toss depicted in this mural was unveiled and celebrated with a live blanket toss, performed by members of the audience, complete with pullers and a man scanning the horizon as he was thrust into the air. As the artist had initially only seen pictures of the satellites, seeing the complete work on such a large scale took McLeod by surprise. She can be heard saying in a YouTube video about the project shared by the Inuvialuit Communication Society: “I didn’t expect it to be that huge—I didn’t know this was that big.” One might liken the feeling to spotting big game on the horizon; a polar bear is much bigger, when viewed up close.