I in the STORM Garden Rammed Earth Wall Project

Senior Visual Art Students' Reflections On the Wall

My favourite spot is standing on the grass facing the front end of the second wall. Standing there reminds me of what it took to get there. It takes me back to the brain storming and designing of my paradoxical symbol, which was something that I struggled with for a long time. Being in that spot reminds me of something I learned while trying to come up with that symbol. I learned that you never know when an idea will come to you. No matter how many hours go by or how many sketches you make, you need to just keep on trying. Eventually, an awesome idea will just come to you, and it’s something you - just - can’t -rush.

The visions of mixing the soil, the feeling of the freezing cold on my face are still so fresh in my mind. Quite frankly, the most impressive perspective that I can muster is not exactly an everyday approach to the walls. It’s the great views that I’ve had from the tops of each individual wall. Tamping was probably the job that I was involved in the most and I think it was because I really enjoyed looking down and watching everyone so actively contributing to the overall production.

I remember this one time when Hadeel, Laura and I were ramming on the wall. We were all frustrated and tired so we decided to just forget everything and ram as best as we could. We sang all the cheesiest songs and laughed and talked and we managed to get two whole layers rammed in the span of fifteen minutes. We would have started on the third layer but there was no time left. It was an extremely fulfilling experience. I’ll never forget it.

As I think back to one day last week when I was walking out from the front of the school, I remember seeing the sun set far off in the distance. Throughout my daily schedules I couldn’t remember the last time I enjoyed the look of such a great sunset, so I took a moment to gaze at it. I stood right next to the third wall and looked at the sky behind the second wall, and for a split second it almost looked like the layers of different colours in the sky were extensions of the layers in the wall. For a moment there, I realized that we had created something that was so organic to nature that it’s almost like we fused it perfectly with the environment.

….when I was walking to the front entrance of the school I was stopped by the sudden burst of beauty. Just the three of them looming over the rest of the students backed by the rupture of the distinctive colours that the sun was creating was beautifully shocking. I say shocking because I wouldn’t have thought a wall was something that could be depicted as striking.

Sitting anywhere in the center of the three walls would be a great place to just simply sit in peace and calm. Maybe even do a bit of reflecting on my day. A place as calming and as natural as that would be great for such practices. I do have to admit, I have driven to the site late at night every so often, with a few out-of-school friends to simply sit and share my experiences with them.

The number of people interested in what we were doing astounded me, probably because at first I didn’t think it was such a big deal myself. After the first few weeks though, I realized that this was something huge. The peak came on the night of Parent-Teacher Interviews, when Olivia and I gave tours of the site and offered information to a huge number of interested and intrigued families. I’ve almost never been asked so many questions, and it was at that point that I realized that the parent community at Rick Hansen was an involved and alert body, who wanted to know just what was going on. To be honest, I expected a little bit of apathy and disinterest, so when I was swamped by curious parents, it was overwhelming. The pride that I’ve felt from forming these relationships during this process is immeasurable, and I’m very glad to have had the chance to build them.

When the final wall was being released on that last blistering day in the cold and the snow and that class came down to watch and applaud us, I felt like what we had done had actually made an impact on our school, whose focus is always on the athletic teams, and the arts are often overlooked.

It was not only a leaning experience for me, but a time when I could express myself and learn about what others thought about the wall as well. Overall it definitely is a time to remember and cherish all my life and I would never regret undertaking this inconceivable task that was accomplished last week.

Click here for the Slide Show!

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