Bateau sur l'escarpement
The Art
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The idea of a boat is inspired by the headwaters of the Batteaux Creek, located at Duntroon Highlands. The creek flows into South Georgian Bay. The creek gets its name from the French word for boats…batteaux. The mouth of the creek was one of several boat building locations along the shoreline of South Georgian Bay leading up to and including the 1850’s. The French name stems from the original explorers who came to the area, including Champlain who first visited in 1615.
“Le bateau sur l’lescarpement” has a size of approximately 16 feet long, 10 feet high and four feet wide, made out of driftwood from Lake Huron, which Georgian Bay extends from. The art installation rests on a frame that sits on local rocks. The tall grasses around the boat symbolize waves.
Driftwood holds its memory of forests and tells a story of turbulent waters that have left its marks. The material raises awareness of the natural environment and the sacredness of the Niagara escarpment. It inspires a return to nature and wilderness.
The boat and its environment provide a welcoming, tactile experience. Visitors are invited to interact with the art! It can accommodate up to three people to enter.
“Le bateau sur l’lescarpement” has a size of approximately 16 feet long, 10 feet high and four feet wide, made out of driftwood from Lake Huron, which Georgian Bay extends from. The art installation rests on a frame that sits on local rocks. The tall grasses around the boat symbolize waves.
Driftwood holds its memory of forests and tells a story of turbulent waters that have left its marks. The material raises awareness of the natural environment and the sacredness of the Niagara escarpment. It inspires a return to nature and wilderness.
The boat and its environment provide a welcoming, tactile experience. Visitors are invited to interact with the art! It can accommodate up to three people to enter.
The Artist
Ernest Daetwyler
Ernest Daetwyler is a Swiss Canadian multi-disciplinary contemporary artist. In recent years, he has created multiple boats as spiritual vessels in Canada, Cuba, Germany and the tropical forest in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, relating to philosophical journeys past, present and future. The Tide is a Turning/The Boat on the Malecon (2024) was commissioned for the 15th Havana Biennial "Shared Horizons" for "Detras del Muro" on the Malecon, Havana, Cuba,
The Boat Project/everythingwillbefine (2018) has been acquired by the McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton and High Up in the Air/Out at Sea (2022) has become an integral part of the environmental art tour of the International Forest Art Path in Darmstadt, Germany. A collector couple in Toronto acquired The Quest for Meaning (2023), a smaller site-specific driftwood boat for their contemporary art collection and residence. The Warrior Witch Boat was presented for “Escarpment/ Erasure” in the Blue Mountains in 2023 as part of the Broken Forests Eco Art Group and inspired this commission/collaboration.
Please feel free to research previous art projects or contact the artist on Instagram @ernestdaetwyler
