Canoe

Year 2015

Pieces 1

16ft handmade canoe with upholstered canopy

Canoe (2014) represents a hybrid watercraft that fuses the aesthetic and utilitarian components of traditional canoe and gondola designs. Autobiographical in nature, this work explores Pirbahi’s dual European and Canadian heritage by repurposing and redesigning vessels notable to each nation's history. In this work, the artist considers ideas of individualism and seeks one's authentic identity, comprised of a multitude of backgrounds, histories, preferences, and stories. The vessel's single-seat calls to mind the isolation demanded in the process of beadworking — a time-consuming undertaking that requires incredible attention and expertise. Canoe asks, at what point does beauty or adornment start taking away from function? With these added decorative elements, does the vessel's utility become moot.