WEENGUSHK FILM INSTITUTE

Acclaimed filmmaker, artist and activist Dr. Shirley Cheechoo wished to refer to this myth for the new home of the Weengushk Film Institute. She founded it in 2002 as a professional arts organization devoted to unlocking the creative potential and talents of at risk indigenous and diverse youth through the creative arts and land based training. Through an understanding of tradition, culture and identity, WFI envisions the collection, preservation and representation of new voices from marginalized communities. Dr. Cheechoo met with architect Stefano Pujatti, with the WFI Board of Directors and with local firm KFA Architects and Planners, to imagine the creation of the perfect environment to support the institutes’ goals for expansion on Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world, surrounded by Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. A long process of exchange of experience and vision culminated in the identification of the ideal building site, located on the western shore of the island, at the end of an existing road in the midst of a dense forest. Elastico Farm proposed a building whose shape and profile were based on these principles: limiting the structure’s impact on the landscape and providing views of the the absurdly photogenic panorama all around, while maintaining a safe distance from the shoreline and its wildlife. Referencing the mobile, nomadic character of the turtle, that lives detached from the land it rests on, the building is propped up by piers, thus creating shaded outdoor spaces for community gatherings. It is embedded in the woods while remaining easily accessible from the entry road. At its heart is a large 6,000 ft conference room around which the rest of the program revolves: instructional labs, theatres, production and post-production areas, archives and food facility. Nature permeates the entirety, with the ever-changing light on the lake and the dense forest all around.