STEAMBOAT

Community Sauna

STEAM BOAT is an interactive public art sculpture in the form of a community sauna, which was stationed at Knutson Lake (a.k.a. “The Swimming Hole” in Dawson) during YRAF weekend. With COVID precautions in mind, they offered an online hourly rental system for the community to enjoy sauna sessions and a dip in the fresh water. Dawsonites and visitors were able to partake in this beautiful and luxurious experience, which was particularly pleasant in the rainy evening.

About the Artist

STEAMBOAT is a creative endeavour initiated in 2020 by multi-disciplinary artist/designer/builder Jared Klok, after he happened upon a long abandoned sailboat in Keno City with a curious history and grand aspirations of transoceanic voyages. Inspired to continue its unlikely legacy, Klok began the process of painstakingly transforming the vessel into a sauna. The following year, Local Field School’s Aubyn O’Grady and Amy Ball partnered with Klok to coordinate sauna “workshops” that would contribute labour and financial support to the build in return for skill sharing and programming as part of their mandate to encourage the sourcing/ foraging/ testing and sharing of art materials and ideas in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. While STEAMBOAT is an independent project spearheaded by Klok, it remains a roving community resource.