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Cheryl L'Hirondelle: STANDING UP, SITTING IN, SOUNDING OUT
18 October–5 November 2016
Art & Media Lab, Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Kingston, ON
Co-curated with Ellyn Walker
Exhibition Text
Consistent throughout her practice, Cheryl L'Hirondelle proposes a Cree worldview (nêhiyawin) that she extends to all as a form of radical inclusivity and care that involves standing up, sitting in and sounding out. Taking these concerted actions as its focal point, the exhibition presents multiple collaborative projects that explore realities of settlement and incarceration throughout (what is now called) Canada. Asking us to reconsider notions of histories, relationships and sites, L'Hirondelle's projects point to the fact that these concepts are not separate.
The metaphor of "meeting halfway" echoes throughout the exhibition as a call for action—what is the role of listening? Will you take the time to participate and bear witness? The exhibition offers an impression for all to take away: whether it be the hum of a tune that now feels familiar, the lingering scent of a tanned hide, or the recognition that meeting in the middle is a kind of relationship that inevitably requires negotiation.
STANDING UP, SITTING IN, SOUNDING OUT makes visible the way(s) in which personal and collective responsibilities are always entwined. Through shared songs and singing land, L'Hirondelle reminds us to never forget that "for us, she's Mother Earth, our home."
18 October–5 November 2016
Art & Media Lab, Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Kingston, ON
Co-curated with Ellyn Walker
Exhibition Text
Consistent throughout her practice, Cheryl L'Hirondelle proposes a Cree worldview (nêhiyawin) that she extends to all as a form of radical inclusivity and care that involves standing up, sitting in and sounding out. Taking these concerted actions as its focal point, the exhibition presents multiple collaborative projects that explore realities of settlement and incarceration throughout (what is now called) Canada. Asking us to reconsider notions of histories, relationships and sites, L'Hirondelle's projects point to the fact that these concepts are not separate.
The metaphor of "meeting halfway" echoes throughout the exhibition as a call for action—what is the role of listening? Will you take the time to participate and bear witness? The exhibition offers an impression for all to take away: whether it be the hum of a tune that now feels familiar, the lingering scent of a tanned hide, or the recognition that meeting in the middle is a kind of relationship that inevitably requires negotiation.
STANDING UP, SITTING IN, SOUNDING OUT makes visible the way(s) in which personal and collective responsibilities are always entwined. Through shared songs and singing land, L'Hirondelle reminds us to never forget that "for us, she's Mother Earth, our home."
Photo credit: Liz Cooper
Installation team: Carina Magazzeni, Ellyn Walker, Michael DiRisio
Installation team: Carina Magazzeni, Ellyn Walker, Michael DiRisio