Storytelling Chairs

The Storytelling Chairs are both interpretive media and a public gathering space. The site is located upon the former Immigration Hall building, a federal institution that provided shelter and provisions for immigrants wishing to establish homesteads in Saskatoon area the early 1900s. As such, the site had been an important gathering space and the new public art intervention could also offer a unique opportunity for people to assemble. The work consists of ten stainless steel chairs that have narratives and perforated light images relating to the history of the site etched into the chair backs. The chair design includes a swivel mechanism and spacing which allows users to cluster into different groupings for socializing and special events.