Jowi Taylor

Officially nicknamed Voyageur at a ceremony in Winnipeg in February 2008 – this guitar is an instrument unlike any in the world. The guitar is quite literally a piece of Canadian history…. or 64 pieces of history to be exact. All of the materials from which the guitar is constructed are contributions from different cultures, communities and characters that, together, tell the story of a multi-cultural Canada; offering a vision of Canada that is at once local and national in an object that is both an artifact and a living, breathing instrument.

Crafting a broad sense of “National Identity” is a challenge in a country like Canada, with its diverse and dynamic population, disparate regions, histories and cultures – not to mention a whole lot of territory to cover. Jowi’s compelling multi-media presentation rises to that challenge through the story of the creation of the one-of-a-kind Six String Nation guitar, Voyageur – “common ground” that you can literally hold in your hand. Jowi and his photographer have travelled with Voyageur to every province and territory in Canada, and along the way have taken over 150,000 portraits of over 15,000 people holding the guitar. Though the portrait component of Jowi’s presentation is optional, it makes the opportunity for sharing this unique experience very real – bringing Jowi’s story to vivid life and putting it in the hands of your organization and your audience.

What does it mean to be Canadian in 2017? What does Canada mean to the world after 150 years of Confederation? Jowi anticipated these questions and the many diverse answers they’d elicit with the creation of his Six String Nation project – centred around a world-exclusive acoustic guitar literally built from pieces of history and heritage that reveal the stories of different communities, cultures, characters and events from every part of Canada. In a compelling and visually dazzling storytelling presentation, Jowi captures the essence of every community he speaks to – from an investors’ retreat to a First Nations school assembly – and connects it directly into a conception of Canada that is at once historical, contemporary, dynamic, personal, emotional, generous, inclusive, proudly Canadian and – for our sesquicentennial – incredibly timely. [/nsb]