Okanagan documentary puts mural project in the spotlight, gets festival nod

A group of controversial murals that were proposed for Vernon, B.C., last year are getting a second life thanks to a documentary called Behind the Mask. 

A group of controversial murals that were proposed for Vernon, B.C., last year are getting a second life, in a documentary called Behind the Mask. 

In 2022 the ‘Behind the Mask’ mural project was announced; there were plans to hang large photographs of marginalized people wearing masks on buildings across the city. That caused an uproar leading to petitions and public debates about whether or not the project should move forward, and eventually, the project was shelved.

“I think the legacy will be that we’ve been able to convert this to a travelling exhibition because we have the documentary,” said Dauna Kennedy, executive director of the Vernon Public Art Gallery.

“We have created these large panels that can travel to different communities and we already have been in contact with other communities that are facing similar conversations with communities around public art as well as mental health.”

The travelling exhibition features not just the photographs taken, but also the mask at the forefront, creating a more diversified exhibit. The film follows the creation and controversy of the mural project that highlights the mental health consequences of the pandemic.

“It was a really important project for us and it’s that really nice piece that we can have for eternity to document what we did for our community,” said Kennedy.

To create the mural project, Calgary, Alta. based artist Katie Green was brought in.

The process involved about four different workshops that created the final product for the project. Each participant made their own mask and created a narrative and storytelling aspect to what that mask meant to them. The participants also got to select their costuming and the environment they wanted to be photographed in as it related to their character.