afrofuturist spaceship in Canadian art show


Saturday was a big day for Outerregion. In the afternoon, Camille participated in a panel discussion with two of the other artists who are featured in Truth or Fiction?

The artists’ works in the show all have elements of challenging the notion of a single story of Canadian history. Have we been told the truth? Whose story is being told? Who is absent? Can we make our own narratives and tell stories in our own ways? Can we create new
realities? Can we change the future?


Very interesting discussion. Camille was asked some questions that were new to us, i.e. – given our appearance [heads covered], and in the current political [anti-Muslim] climate, have people ever interpreted our work as militant or as an invasion. To answer – no, this has not been our experience thus far. For the most part, people have only related to us as peaceful beings. However, we do wonder whether people would relate to us differently if we were of a different race or if we covered our faces.


Saturday evening was the Truth or Fiction? Launch and opening party. The Final Frontier presentation was visually spectacular! The gallery’s contractors constructed a spaceship bridge for us. Inside the bridge, were two consoles we shipped from Toronto, upon which two of the videos played the footage from our travels across Canada thus far. When
sitting at the consoles, equipped with various lighted buttons and levers, with a video of the earth spinning in front of you, you really feel that you are in a spaceship careening towards earth. Outside of the spaceship, a video plays the interviews from people on the street
who participated (or didn’t) in our performances.


The show seemed to be very well received. Many people congratulated us and had a lot to say about our work. Several people, with roots in other cities, questioned when the aliens would be arriving in their home towns…


The presentations from each of the artists in Truth or Fiction? were all thought-provoking and engaging. One that I will comment on is a piece by Kent Monkman as it will stay with me for very long time. Kent has a persona, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, who often appears in his work. In Truth or Fiction? Kent presented a piece, entitled “Queen-Sized Body Bag”. The piece is a critique of the federal government’s delivery of body bags to reserves in northern Manitoba to help them ‘respond’ to swine flu outbreaks. The piece is a huge – about
10 foot high – body bag. On one side is a photograph of Miss Chief Testicle and on the back is a Hudson’s Bay wool blanket. (above description adapted from

http://www.trepanierbaergallery.com/uploads/documents/news207.pdf)

An accompanying written piece comments on the outrage and offensiveness of planning for the death of a peoples. Shameful…


I am definitely a fan of Mr. Monkman. For more on his work, go to: http://www.kentmonkman.com
Today’s accompanying clip is a short video of the opening – taking you inside our spaceship. I hope you will see the real thing one day if you haven’t already.


excerpt from
http://www.outerregion.ca
post by Karen Turner


E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of Blacksciencefictionsociety to add comments!

Join Blacksciencefictionsociety