Carvings, Hollywood, & Brian Glow

A student of mine had been working on two sets of wood carvings for about a week when he came to my classroom to present the final products.  The carvings were part of a project he had been working on in shop class.  One carving was a double-tusk narwhal and the other depicted an Inuk hunter in a canoe with a harpoon.  The tusks were real and the narwhal had been painted grey.  Both carvings were held up on wooden sticks attached to a wooden base.

            

I congratulated the student for creating one-of-a-kind pieces of art and asked him if I could take several photos from various angles?  He happily agreed.  I used a privacy board as a white background.  When I completed the photoshoot, I suggested he take it to the local Heritage Centre and have it displayed.  He said he would think about it.  I hope he considers selling them because I’m certain he can get a good price.

            

The cadet Marksmanship Team returned from the National Competition in Victoria, BC.  They didn’t bring back medals; only smiles on their faces.  From the stories they shared with the corps, the team had a lot of fun representing Arctic Bay at the competition.  They also explored the town, toured a naval vessel, and enjoyed free time in a park.  We were all glad by their efforts.

            

My Grade 10 English students felt like they were in Hollywood because the first two weeks of May were spent on principal photography of the class film project.  We spent a week and a half in April brainstorming ideas, creating characters, and learning how to operate the school’s expensive Canon camera.  Now came the time to put it all into practice.  The film project fit into the course’s media studies unit. 

            

Since the beginning of the semester, my students have been telling me how much they love the 2007 YouTube series Don’t Call Me Eskimo.  (All my students have been telling me this since I moved here in 2013).  The series was made by local high school students who were part of a video club.  The club no longer exists but my students longed for someone to continue the series or at least make a new updated video about school life.  I suggested that we were the perfect candidates to give it a try. 

            

I filmed & photographed scenery shots of Arctic Bay for the film project.

Inuujaq School

Using our imaginations and the trusted methods of trial & error, we placed ourselves in front of the camera in various humourous scenarios and recorded them.  It took several takes to get the “perfect” shots.  Word quickly spread about our project and soon I had many students & teachers making cameos and directing several scenes.  I greatly appreciated the help.  When principal photography wrapped up, we had recorded 46 minutes of raw footage.  Now all I had to do was review the footage, cut everything down to an acceptable length, and add titles & music.  I stressed to my students that the post-production process would take some time but I promised them that it would get done.

            

The staff and students of Inuujaq School were treated to an afternoon performance of magic and illusion on May 16.  Professional illusionist & comedy magician Brian Glow was touring several northern communities raising awareness on bullying and suicide prevention.  His tour was being sponsored by organizations such as First Air, Calm Air, Arctic Co-op, and the First Nations Bank.

            

Brian Glow was already into his act by the time I arrived at the gym.  I recorded three tricks/illusions with my camera: the moving pencil in a bottle, cutting a ribbon & putting it back together, and the connecting silver rings.  Glow had several students & teachers act as participants.  Messages of anti-bullying and suicide prevention were inserted in between each trick/illusion. 

            

Everyone enjoyed the show, the younger students being the most vocal.  Several high school students jokingly asked me if Brian was a shaman.  I replied that he wasn’t.  I and many others greatly appreciate these kinds of visits because Arctic Bay rarely gets them to begin with.  The high cost of airfare is the main obstacle, but I also think it’s because Iqaluit is more “visible” down south and easier to travel to.  The smaller northern communities don't have the same level of financial resources as the territorial capital to promote their town to tourists.