A Saskatoon ice sculptor is preparing to build a memorial honouring the four people killed in last month’s La Loche shooting.
Douglas Lingelbach is heading to the northern Saskatchewan community this week to take part in the town’s winter festival. The artist, who carved a wooden sculpture in La Loche last fall, was invited back for the winter festival. He was expecting to carve a fisherman out of ice, but changed his plans following the Jan. 22 shooting.
An elder approached him to see if he could create something to honour the two brothers, teacher and teacher’s aide who were killed, Lingelbach said.
“I’m going to recreate their faces in ice, with a tree between them, with the roots entangled with hands and hearts,” he said. “It’s just at peace. It’s just to commemorate their life on earth.”
The mass shooting — which took place at the La Loche high school and at a home in the town — left four people dead and seven injured.
A 17-year-old boy, who can’t be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of attempted murder and one count of unauthorized possession of a firearm in relation to the shooting.
Lingelbach said he wants his piece to help the community let go and move on from the tragedy. He plans to build a fire around the sculpture, once it’s complete, to melt it.
“Impermanence is the name of the piece, and it’s from the creator to the creator,” he said. “It’s probably one of the most moving pieces I’ll ever do in my life.”
La Loche’s winter festival, which began Wednesday, runs until Sunday.
Lingelbach estimates he’ll spend about 25 hours creating his sculpture.
February 18, 2016
Source: CTV News