Memory Object

Artist Statement - The Indian Residential School Marker Project

Artist Statement - The Indian Residential School Marker Project Dedicated to all those who did not make it, who we must never forget, and to those who did; who moved through this difficult part of our collective history on this land now known as Canada to witness a new day, make a new journey, engage with the land and tell a good story. And to all our future generations – you are the long road ahead – this is for you all so you may always remember to look back to the guiding light - to our ancestors, our collective past - while eternally staying present and moving forward into the relative unknown; remembering our stories, our histories and embodying our future possibilities – good, bad or otherwise.

Charged with the responsibility to create an inclusive and participatory container to mark the place where every residential school was located and / or where every community was affected, we collectively decided to depart from the western concept of heritage commemoration and designation, and instead create a dynamic and versatile marker as much celebrating our strength as honouring loss; significant for survivors and communities alike - past, present and future. We were honoured to be chosen and to have been asked to reclaim the Indigenous role of artist, so we could lovingly work together in the service of the people making images and objects both utilitarian and beautiful, as a reminder to the people of their fortitude and spirit. Our intent is that through participation and use, our creation may become animated, come alive and embody integrity and substance for all.

Two objects make up our design: an open hoop invites engagement and offers an opportunity to move through circumstances, interferences, impediments and external influences towards new possibilities of collective wellbeing and reconciliation. The accompanying stick suggests the ingenuity of all of our ancestors and visionaries in recognizing and creating important tools for survival; and together the two objects forge an ongoing dialogue and relationship at once both marking the land by defining place and in doing so, caring for and tending to the space these objects inhabit. The versatility and agency of both can be found in all of our communities: from drum hoops, basket and pottery, drum sticks, hide fleshers, hunting objects, talking sticks, hearths and mounds to many other ceremonial objects. The sound created when both sonically presents a unified utterance of everyone’s prayer, everyone’s song, everyone’s story.

Patterns from all our many Indigenous worldviews are encoded with many teachings and much ancient knowledge. In this territory where we came together to create this commemoration is where the three strands of the braid signify respect, honesty and dignity. The two braids on the outside of the hoop each moving both clockwise and counter-clockwise are at once the unending reappearance of once cut-off braided hair and can also be read as the abundance of medicines or essential materials from nature for binding, fastening and further marking. In this way we assert an unending flexible continuum of time and our ongoing existence, despite attempts forced upon us during this sad time in history to do otherwise.

On the inside, motifs have a simple, non-stylized look and feel, the intention of this to refer to various Indigenous imagistic glyphs and materials from all across this land while being open and not too regionally specific to imply or inappropriately use shapes, forms, textures too territorially aligned. This is for everyone! The scenario depicted illustrates shapes that intimate seeds, leaves or petals that freely and endlessly move to further suggest a continuum to move the viewer’s eye throughout the landscape. The four elements, along with the sun, moon and stars in concert with track-like marks, both airborne and grounded in the environment move to and from shapes that intimate growth: life, maturity, health and ultimately places of refuge – the way home. These tracks, shapes and movement further propose freedom of movement through our territories encouraging future friendships, collaborations and communication. The weight and heft of the objects the final bronze caste represents and both inner and outer raised surfaces invite participation and touch. The tactile relief combine with our visceral memory to further acknowledge the importance of what these objects commemorate for future narratives for generations still to come.

Our hope is that each community will accept these objects, forge their own relationships with them, contribute their own stories, meanings, symbols and uses for new ceremonies appropriate to present needs for the empowerment of future generations.

Ursula Johnson

Cheryl L’Hirondelle

Mariane Nicolson

Mathew Nuqingaq

France Trepanier