Jade is at the centre of Circle of Life, a documentary film by Andrew B. Matheson, which will have its free film premiere at the Baumont Studios on May 28 in honour of B.C. jade day. Characterized by its sheer strength and durability, the stone holds many physically and spiritually important qualities.

Organized by the World Jade Symposium Association (WJSA), a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to the support of artists who work with the stone, the film speaks to the mostly unknown cultural and social significance that the stone holds for numerous nations, including Canada.

“The sun will melt everything else, but jade will remain,” says Brian Matheson, a North Vancouver jade carver, and brotherof the documentary filmmaker.

Multifaceted importance

Chinese jade artifacts | Photo courtesy of WJSA

Jade, according to Brian Matheson, is Canada’s cultural blindspot. The fact that 75 per cent of the world’s jade supply originates in B.C. is unknown to many Canadians.

The historical significance of the stone is a product of the durability and longevity of the stone itself.

Brian says that jade can retain its form for anywhere from 20,000–30,000 years, and perhaps even more. This is one reason why jade has been used and revered for so long by such a variety of different cultures – Siberian, Maori and Chinese, among others.

Each nation and culture works with its own meaning of the stone. For example, in Chinese culture, says Brian, the stone has long been equated with spirituality, a symbol of the heavens, hence jade’s nickname: the Stone of Heaven. In holding a small part of the gem, one is united with the heavens.

The versatility of the stone is measured by the various nations that have used it for artistic expression. Carving the stone is an important part of the film and, Brian says, the fundamental way the stone can be used as a tool for bonding and unity between cultures.

Jade as a metaphor for unity

Documentary filmmaker Andrew Matheson (left) with his brother and jade carver Brian Matheson. | Photo courtesy of WJSA

The gemstone’s most alluring quality, as the film and Brian both express, is its intense ability to unite cultures all across the world. The film introduces us to many different peoples in different nations of the world to whom jade means something unique.

The stone invites people from all over the world to observe and share different methods and styles of carving and finding expression through this fine art. For example, the film explores the differences between a Chinese style of carving compared to a more Western style.

The film also allows the audience to understand that it is not only about cultures sharing and exploring one another’s authenticity and art but also about hybridizing, forming an altogether new product that finds its seeds in various cultures and styles.

As Brian explains, with an increasing appreciation and awareness of the gemstone’s capability, many more doors are opening for different artists. The WJSA aids in ensuring that artists from around the world are able to share, rejoice and learn their art form – a visual expression of cultures meeting.

Jade also solidifies and unites cultures symbolically, says Brian. The gemstone itself is not grainy, and contains microfibres that have no cleavage in between. These fibres, which are tightly locked in and woven together are symbolic of how united and complex the stone is for nations to which it is of importance, says Brian.

Much like the physical nature of the stone, the inter-cultural knowledge, traditions and styles that the stone is responsible for become unified and strengthened.

For tickets for the free screening, visit bcjadeday.eventzilla.net.
For more information, visit www.jadesymposium.org