On Saturday afternoon, Sparkling Hill Resort in Vernon unveiled its multi-million dollar Heritage Crystal Tipi.
The stunning artistic display was created as a way for Mr. Gernot Langes-Swarovski, the visionary behind Sparkling Hill, to show his gratitude to the First Nations people of the Okanagan for allowing him to build on their natural pristine ancestral lands.
It was brought to life out of a collaboration between Mr. Langes-Swarovski, Stephen Cipes the proprietor of Summerhill Pyramid Organic Winery and Okanagan artist Ron Hall aka “Moose.”
Standing at three-storeys high the structure features 16 oil paintings, to help tell the story of the Okanagan people’s heritage and traditions.
“For me, this is what it all comes down to,” said Hall at the unveiling. “Everything that we need to know is in the stories, many cultures have similar stories that talk about our history that we have overcome as people.”
“Being asked to do something like this really makes you think,” he added.
Each of the paintings was sent to Austria to be cast in Swarovski crystal to forever immortalize their meaning and add to the already over 3.5 million other crystals sprinkled throughout the resort.
The Heritage Crystal Tipi is a beauty all on its own and can be gazed upon with awe all hours of the day as the hundreds of crystals will glimmer naturally in the sun, and will also be illuminated from behind throughout the night.
