Waterways—Past, Present and Future continues to teach 

An art installation, featuring interactive 3D virtual panels that share Syilx teachings about human and water relationships and values, continues to be used as a teaching tool years after it was first inspired.

Dr. Aleksandra Dulic, Visual Arts Professor in UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, is the artistic director behind Waterways—Past, Present and Future.

The project is the result of a multi-year collaboration between UBCO students, faculty, Syilx Okanagan Nation Elders and Knowledge Keepers, Kelowna Museums Society, En’Owkin Centre, Okanagan Basin Water Board and the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program.

Featured at the Okanagan Heritage Museum from September 2021 to January 2022, the installation shares video accounts of Knowledge Keepers, scientists and conservationists discussing the meaning, stewardship and sustainability of water.

The exhibition is interactive—visitors can use a touchscreen interface to see what the Okanagan waterways were like before colonization.

More recently, research from this project has been published in several visual anthropology journals. Articles in Social Sciences & Humanities Open and Sustainability—based on the doctoral research of Maria Correia—outline the ethics and methods behind the project. The work combines community-based research with artistic expression, drawing on the knowledge of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts.

Dr. Dulic explains that a key feature of the project is the partnership between the Indigenous and settler communities to protect and restore the Okanagan waterways.

How did the Waterways project come about?

The project aims to create a knowledge-sharing framework that bridges Indigenous and settler worldviews, particularly around water and land use.

It connects traditional Indigenous knowledge with Western science, encouraging understanding, collaboration and reconciliation. While the exhibition was designed for a settler museum, it also celebrates Indigenous cultures by—supporting youth and showcasing cross-cultural successes such as the Okanagan Nation Alliance Bringing the Salmon Home project.

The project highlights the importance of water as a life source and governance tool. At its core, Waterways promotes respectful collaboration and models of shared leadership to support more inclusive and caring approaches to the environment.

Can you explain the importance of using creative research methods combined with scientific research? As well as the connection to the Indigenous Knowledge Keepers in this project?

The exhibition’s design—its graphics layout and videos—emerged from years of following both Indigenous and non-Indigenous scientists in the field, along with community interviews and workshops. This process allowed for a rich, layered narrative rooted in lived experience and local knowledge.

By combining scientific GIS data with Indigenous knowledge, the project uses art to explore complex ideas and share difficult truths in a more open way.

As my Balinese teacher says, “With beautiful images and beautiful song, we can hear difficult things.” That’s exactly the core approach of this project. Using beauty, song and imagery, the exhibition gently invites people into tough conversations—like reconciliation and the realities of settler benefit—without feeling judged. It encourages visitors to pause, notice the details and think about the importance of water, place and our shared responsibilities.

What is next for Waterways?

The project continues to evolve, with plans to show the work in Vernon and possibly highlight the salmon project and themes of ecological connectivity. The work has also been invited to appear at events centred on water and environmental relationships. As a multi-channel installation, the format is flexible—we can arrange the installation’s five screens to create a more immersive experience.

The work is based on careful research and cultural knowledge, making it useful as academic material and meaningful to the public.

This was a team effort, correct?

Absolutely. Waterways—Past, Present and Future is funded by a grant from Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

As the principal investigator, I worked with many UBCO colleagues, including co-investigators Drs. Jeanette Armstrong, John Wagner, Lael Parrott, Miles Thorogood and Marlowe Sam. We also had assistance from graduate students Sarah Alexis, Maria Correia, Rylan Broadband, Sepideh Safari, Jordan Pike, Carla Mather, Emerald Holt and Jacen Denis.

For more information, including a list of the many students and partners involved in creating and sharing the project, visit: waterways.ok.ubc.ca.