Pod Print

In September 2018, I dreamed that I was being swept down a flooded street in my car. In my dream, two orcas appeared in front of me and led my car through the waters. Two weeks later, I had the same dream, but the orcas were behind me, following in my car’s wake. In my next dream, I fell into the water, and a dozen orcas surrounded me, swimming alongside me and jumping in the air. I have had at least 28 of these dreams, all varying silghtly since that September. The indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest have long held beliefs that orcas are deceased humans trying to communicate with loved ones. This belief has brought a great deal of comfort to me, as my own dreams began two weeks after the sudden and tragic death of a close friend. I don’t know what my aim is with these drawings right now. I would like to gradually work larger and create spaces as immersive as the spaces I occupied alongside orcas in my dreams. I would like my work to inspire some reflection about the mere 73 Southern Resident killer whales that are currently in existence, and what can be done to save this incredible community from extinction. I would also like the viewer to reflect on the importance of community, connection, and belonging for all beings, and to find a similar sense of peace and connection when engaging with this work as I did creating it.