Inspiring two-eyed seeing, learning, and teaching of physics

The Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute, in partnership with the Queen’s University Office of Indigenous Initiatives, the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Physics Engineering, and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre have unveiled a new mural in Stirling Hall.

The collaborative artwork, now installed in the third-floor common area of Stirling Hall, spans 18 feet of previously empty wall space, and the installation consists of three large, 65-inch-wide panels and two 12-inch-wide panels between them.

The two panels on the outside are original paintings by Will Morin, and the other panels are digital prints of imagery by Quinn ᓂᑳᓐ ᓅᑎᓐ Hopkins. The panels move from past, present, to future, bringing Anishinaabe knowledge and astroparticle physics into the same frame — a loon rising toward the pictographs of Lake Superior, a lodge layered over SNOLAB two kilometres underground, and a spirit bird travelling the Milky Way alongside a dreamcatcher woven in the same pattern found in pinecones, galaxies, and the spiral of a river.

Morin is of Ojibwa/Scottish and French-Canadian ancestry and is a member of the Michipicoten First Nation. He is an educator and a visual/performance artist living and working in Sudbury. Hopkins (Mixed Ojibwe, non-status) is an interdisciplinary artist blending urban Indigenous experiences with digital futurism.

Zachary Kenny explains the augmented reality layer of the artwork that brings the piece to life.

In addition to the physical artwork, Hopkins has created an augmented reality layer that brings the teachings and physics into motion. Scanning a QR code with a mobile device will present viewers with an interface that uses the device’s camera to locate sections of the mural and activate animated sequences that emerge from the artwork.

Audio features the artists’ voices discussing the elements of each panel and how they connect to teachings, understandings, and personal insights about the universe, creation, and the ways humans go about gaining knowledge.

"When the McDonald Institute opened a call for artists in the Fall of 2025, it did not require interested artists to have any prior knowledge of physics," says Zachary Kenny, Communications Officer for the McDonald Institute. "Part of the journey would be a Two-Eyed Seeing, Knowledge Sharing Circle, where Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers would come together with physicists to explore the questions that have been asked for thousands of years including where do we come from and what is the nature of matter. The two artists heard a common thread in these conversations and created this piece of art."

The McDonald Institute is hosting a public unveiling event featuring talks by the artists and special guests from the project organizing committee in the third-floor Student Lounge of Stirling Hall on Monday, July 27. A catered reception will begin at 5:30 pm, followed by talks at 6:15 pm.