SALMON COMING HOME - by Phill Ashbee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 12, 2002; Nanaimo BC….

"Salmon Coming Home" by Phill Ashbee was commissioned in July 2000 to celebrate the new millennium. This project was made possible by generous contributions from The Province of British Columbia Arts and Heritage Millennium Fund and other generous donors*. The finished work hangs on the curved, 100 foot wall in the main lobby of The Port Theatre. Over 130 Salmon were first carved in wood and then cold cast in bronze and copper, taking a year to complete. Materials used in this piece include old growth red cedar, jade, abalone and horse hair. All five species of salmon; Sockeye, Chinook, Pink, Chum and Coho are represented.

Phil Ashbee is a contemporary artist and the figures in "Salmon Coming Home" are the artist's personal interpretation of traditional west coast art. This modern vision was found through an internal process blending the old with the new, utilizing modern techniques and materials as well as traditional ones.

The salmon are symbols that speak to the heart of every West Coast person. They are the bell-weather for our relationship with the environment. The hope expressed by this piece is that we will see the return of the salmon in their historic numbers because we have learned to live in harmony with mother earth. It also represents the broader life cycle of all living things.


The four copper domes on the mask symbolize the four directions of the compass as well as the four elements of balance; physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. The mask faces the east to reflect the rising of the sun and new beginnings. On the two middle rays of the mask are copper domes highlighting the earth's close tie with the sun and its movement around it. The eagle in the centre of the mask is the nearest animal to the creator and could see the furthest while the octopus represents the wisdom of the underworld.

Phil says "The challenge of my human journey is expressed through my carving. My art is a metaphor for life as I shape and mold the materials; I exercise patience, strength and softness, my heart and ears open to the spirit of mother cedar. In "Salmon Coming Home", I explored the natural elements of wood, water and copper as well as the casting process. The incorporation of these materials is intended to expand the sensory experience of the healing messages, touching many hearts and uniting the spirit of our communities."

Salmon have flowed into every river in this province since the dawn of time. Civilizations throughout British Columbia have depended on this invaluable resource, with their strength and stability intimately tied to the cycle of salmon and the food source that it provides. In the early years of western society's expansion into British Columbia, many of the explorers were diverted around sacred fishing places so that their ghostly appearance would not scare the salmon away but they soon discovered the bounty that the fish bestow. Many of the historically massive salmon runs are now reduced to mere trickles. It is the hope of The Port Theatre that this piece will not only delight with its beauty but provide an enduring reminder to highlight the problems that the salmon face in their fight for survival.

*donors for "Salmon Coming Home" - Anonymous donor, Dr. Stanley Eng, Margaret
and Ted Strongitharm, PRAqua Supplies Ltd., Mary Magrega, Port Theatre Volunteer Fund,
and Dee & Jim Dawson.


Phill Ashbee, (250) 753-7776