Petra Hekkenberg
I am an visual artist and public space designer based out of New Denver, BC. I grew up in The Netherlands, where it is “as flat as a pancake” and fell in love with the wilderness, people, and mountains of the Slocan Valley as soon as I set foot here. I have never felt anywhere more at home than in New Denver and I deeply care for my community. Then came the Summer of 2024: As unreal as it seemed, I was watching the fires burn through our magical forests and threaten our rural communities. I experienced what it is like to evacuate knowing you may never see your home again, the incredible power of nature, the uncertainties, the hectics, the logistics, the lack of fresh air, people leaving and people coming to help, the connectiveness, but also isolation. These events made a lasting impression on me. It is not like a book that you finish and put away; wildfires and other natural disasters are part of our foreseeable future here. What does that mean, how does that feel? I have always processed my emotions through visual art, and I believe that art is an essential part of any healthy society. I feel it is my purpose to connect people through art. That is how this project about the sentiment of wildfires came to be. I hope it will help you reflect, process, learn and feel connected.
Work
Most of my career has evolved around three of my passions: nature, people and art. I currently work parttime as a hut keeper in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park and parttime as a visual artist. During my years of work in the park, I have created and published two illustrated journals: “In the Alpine” and “Further in the Alpine”. Related to these books, other visual artwork, photography and short film, I do public speaking and have held several exhibitions. Until recently, I was an active board member of the Slocan Lake Arts Council, for which I have organized a diversity of events and workshops, and will keep doing so. Besides art, I occasionally work on public space design projects, for example the playgrounds that I made in Namibia and Canada. My favorite projects are the ones where I can work together with local communities or groups, so that the users can be part of the creation; the ones where everything is connected.
Creative Education:
Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial Product Design, Enschede, NL)
Bachelor of Design (Design Academy Eindhoven, NL)
Connection Award for excellent interpersonal skills.
Drawing classes since the age of 10.
Examples of work
www.petrahekkenberg.com
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