It's a colourful sight for anyone walking past one of the new murals around the city. What they might not realize at first is that they're more than meets the eye.
The six paintings are part of what's called the Augment YK Mural Project. It's a partnership between Western Arctic Moving Pictures (WAMP) and Makerspace YK.
The paintings are also animated. When seen through a phone, and with the Artivive app specifically, the murals come to life, whether it's with sound, movement, flashing lights or a combination.
WAMP's executive director, Bran Ramsey, explained that the work began last September with workshops and test animations. But the actual painting started during the winter. There was also an exhibition in the Snow Castle in March, Ramsey added.
All the paintings were completed by February, which includes the art itself and the accompanying animations. Despite the variety among the six works, for Ramsey, they are no favourites.
"They're all my favourite," he chuckled. "They all bring something unique."
They also show some love to the NWT. One painting, for example, features a flower. When animated, one sentence pans across the screen. In various languages, it reads, "I love Yellowknife."
As for what's next, Ramsey mentioned receiving an email asking if WAMP is seeking more locations to create murals.
"We're certainly looking at doing it again," said Ramsey.
One idea he gave was one giant mural in a single location for everyone to see.
For now, here's a list of where to find each of the latest paintings:
'The Gathering' by John Rombough and animated by Carl Jr. Kodakin-Yakeleya is at Juniper Health.
'Late Summer' by John Rombough and animated by Carl Jr. Kodakin-Yakeleya is at the Fred Henne Territorial Park outdoor kitchen.
'Tongues' by Wessam Bou-Saleh and animated by Josh Udon is at Quality Furniture.
'A Basket of Fluttering Doves' Hearts Gathering' by Derek Simmers and animated by Jarett Sitter is at Yellowknife Books.
'Hands/Help' by Jack Miltenberger and animated by Juliana Orthlieb at Folk On The Rocks.
'Change of Winds' by Danielle Wendehorst and YK Climate Change Art Youth Group and animated by Mim DSA国际影视传媒橝igle is at Prince of Wales Heritage Museum.
