Change through metamorphosis reflected in Nanaimo street banners
Samay-Sampson said she is honoured that the City has chosen her artwork and is excited to see her artwork come alive on the banners. Photo courtesy of the City of Nanaimo.
With Spring around the corner, change is in the air and new banners will brighten up the streets of Nanaimo.
Aiym Samay-Sampson knew she wanted to be an artist since she was old enough to hold a pen. Growing up in Kazakhstan, Samay-Sampson would attend an art school program after her regular schooling.
She then came to Canada to continue her education in 3D Animation at Langara College in Vancouver.
“I'm inspired to tell younger people to do the same thing,” Samay-Sampson said. “They should learn the art from their childhood, and then the more they learn, the better they draw, the better their art is.”
Samay-Sampson said when she saw the call-out from the City of Nanaimo for the banner designs and that this year’s theme was metamorphosis and change, she was inspired by Franz Kafka's book The Metamorphosis.
“So it’s a book about a guy who woke up as a giant bug,” she said. “That's what inspired me the most, I would say, because the bug is the metamorphosis, a symbol of how you can change, over the night. Like in the book, or just like throughout your whole life, you can become a beautiful butterfly.”
Her design features a digital illustration of a butterfly. This was one of the very few illustrations of an insect Samay-Sampson has ever made.
“Even in my animation career, I would say what I enjoy the most [is] animating people–their emotions, their facial expressions, their body movements, but especially the face,” she said.
But now that she is finishing up her tattoo apprenticeship in Victoria, she said butterflies are one of the most popular designs requested for a tattoo.
Samay-Sampson said she is honoured that the City has chosen her artwork and is excited to see her artwork come alive on the banners.
“I want to come over and take a lot of pictures because I'm a proud mom,” she said.
She also said all her family back in Kazakhstan is excited for her and the new banner design.
“My mom and dad and they are so proud of me. They sent [the news] to all our relatives in different cities in Kazakhstan. They send the articles all in English, my family's still working on their English, they have to translate everything,” she said. “they are so amazed and honoured, and again, they're very, very happy. They're very proud of me, which is a perfect feeling, you cannot describe it with your words.”
According to the City of Nanaimo, the new banners will be hung in Nanaimo’s downtown area, along Bowen Road, Third Street, and other major routes.
Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
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