3D, FOUND OBJECTS, SCULPTURE
nepewassi (ongoing)
I was told by an aquaintance that Nepewassi means "Little Water" or "Small Lake" in Ojibwe. Today, because of my family, the water may not be as "little" as it once was.
Stéfy, found photographs and 3D prints, 2025
This project draws on my experience as a white settler, whose family owns property in rural Northern Ontario, and our contributions to internal colonialism. The stories I will tell have been passed down orally by my father and my family. I regrettably did not have the opportunity to speak to my late grandfather and great grandfather about this work, who would have added far more information and knowledge. Parts of it could be factually untrue, exaggerated, or lacking information. It’s a story of complexity and of familial pride, that often forgets what existed here before us.
My family moved to Markstay, in Northern Ontario, on Treaty 61 Robinson Huron territory (1850), and has a long history of extracting resources and land for recreational purposes. In the early 1930s, my great grandfather Kenneth McKnight purchased property to build a small cottage on the north eastern end of Nepewassi Lake in Markstay. At this time, my great grandfather was working in CopperCliff, in a nickel mine, part of INCO. He loved the forest. A hunter and a fisherman, he found good comfort in these places. He wanted to retire and live there indefinitely, spending as much time in the forest as possible. As part of this plan, he built Nepewassi Lake View Lodge, today known as Mountain View Lodge, sometime before the 50s (It is suggested that construction began in the 30s). To expand the usage of the lodge and land, he advocated strongly to the Ministry of Natural Resources for the creation of a dam to control the waterways of Nepewassi and expand its dept. Allegedly, the dam was built between 1956 and 57. Since then, the area has developed tremendously, accommodating several tourists, hunters, and cottage owners. From 1954 onwards, my grandfather, Floyd McKnight, acquired and inherited over 360 acres of property in the area. He then, sold the lodge.
With the increase in population and urbanites retreating to Markstay for recreational purposes, my grandfather began to install no trespassing signs, sensors, and red circles on trees[1] around his property to monitor and protect his land from interlopers.
The remainder of the property was inherited by my father in 2010, after my grandfather’s passing. Since then, my father has incorporated newer forms of surveillance technologies, like hunting cameras, electric fences, and “fake” CCTV signs to deter and surveil interlopers. This story provides insight into the development and distribution of property in rural areas in Northern Ontario, and how surveillance technologies and logics have developed over time. Today, Nepewassi Lake and Mountain View Lodge are frequented by hunters, fishers, and recreationists. Because of this, my family and our friends continue to implement more surveillance technologies throughout our properties because of fear of theft from, distrust of, and concern for the safety of the interlopers. What is missing from this story, which this project will unravel, is how my family’s history contributes to a larger colonial project that uses surveillance mechanisms to monitor property and that continues to perpetuate colonial logics of land ownership and control.
The story I have been told, is that Nepewassi Lake would not be what it is now, without the dam, or the impact of my family. Very little is publically available about the history of Nepewassi Lake and Nepewassi River. My understanding and knowledge of it, is based on my familial experience. For instance, how much of it was considered a lake before the dam, how much was river? What was its purpose before this construction? Perhaps water way travel? What does installing a dam control, limit, contribute or change about the ecosystem and its environment? Did my family actually “create” this lake, like many have said, or is that a myth in its own right, and we simply expanded a body of water that was already thriving?
Using family photos of their time on and near Nepewassi, I am creating 3D renderings and prints of objects that hold a memory, story, or moment in time, I have not shared. This is my way of relearning our relationship to this land, our impacts on it, but also our stories and the myths we’ve created while here.