The Flag Project began in the summer of 2007 during a residency at EstNordEst in St-Jean-Port-Joli, Québec. Located on the south shore of the St.Lawrence river the art centre is located next to Route 132 - the main tourist road out to Gaspésie. Originally I wanted to make an installation in a vacant souvenir boutique and the flag was to be a way of attracting attention of passers, and drivers, by. The project developed in a way that the flag became the focus rather than the proposed installation.
During the residency I spent time researching and experimenting with natural materials in the local area to make dyes and inks, including black raspberries, goldenrod flowers and leaves and blueberries. Throughout August I collected goldenrod flowers from the surrounding countryside and blueberries from a local pick-your-own farm. The yellow silk of the flag is dyed using goldenrod and the silk used for the appliquéd writing is a purple that was made using blueberries from the area and grapes that I picked on my balcony once back in Montréal.
The flag will be completed in 2009 when I hope to return to Québec to fly it from the boutique. I see this piece as a beginning of a series of flags reflecting on time, nature and place.