Kitchener art installation to involve inmates from women's prison

The artist of a newart installation in downtown Kitchener wants to get people thinking about the notion of time, while also involving Indigenous women from the Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener.

Ernest Daetwyleris the man behind the piece: Past, Present, Future.

He installed seven spheres, all made out of different materials, beside the Region of Waterloo building, at the corner of Queen Street and Weber Street.

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Three of the spheres are made oflimestone, which he said refers to a distant past.

A larger sphere is made of bricks, taken from some old downtown buildings.

He said areflective, steel sphere represents the present.

"The right here and now, where you see your self in a mirror at this very moment," Daetwylerexplained, adding that the optical illusion will mean that areflection may look different depending on the angle.

The final two spheres are elevatedby two posts and represent the future.

"They invite you to imagine the future and think how the futurecould look like, " he said.

Bring healing

Daetwylersaid he wanted his art to go beyond being an installation.

Through a partnership between the region and Grand Valley Institution, women from the prison will landscape the area around the art, adding gardens and Indigenous plants.

"I'm sure this site here could use some healing, for example, or could use a medicine garden," Daetwylersaid.

"This is open for First Nation women to react, to decide."

Daetwylerhopes that work also brings some form of healing to the women who participate.