In the spirit of truth and reconciliation, Clarence Cachagee (@crowshieldlodge) and Phil Irish (@phil.irish_artist) have partnered together with Kitchener Public Library to erect a large-scale, multimedia installation in the main lounge at Kitchener Public Library’s Central Branch.
The nearly two-story collage was iteratively assembled on-site by Irish, community members, and Library Staff. It draws primarily from paintings representative of a “home” that is being simultaneously deconstructed and/or reconstructed — a dynamic energized by the interplay between graphic, photo-realistic, and abstracted elements.
At the heart of the slashed, sculpted — and at times disruptive — colourful mass, a stark black-and-white video plays on a loop. The subject is engaged in what can be described as “perpetual ceremony”; the flame and smoke from a central smudge pot bind and cleanse the disparate pieces of the paper-based installation. The ritual is paced. The fire is tended — the smoke rises to the ceiling as gift.
It is our hope that this installation will “hold space” at the library and prioritize conversations and reflection around Truth and Reconciliation. The artists and facilitators intentionally collaborated together as an act of reconciliation, while representing their ongoing commitment to one another in joint artistic expression.
The installation is a place-based work of art, designed in the library, responding to the atmospheric and architectural elements of the space. In the bright sun the video element may fade, and the sculpture may be obscured by window glare from the sidewalk. In the evening or on cloudy days, the installation may be clearly visible whether you are inside the library, or across the street from it. Whether you can see the elements clearly or not, the ceremony is constant, the reconciliation perpetual.
Shoutout to @lmwaterloo & Lighthouse Equipment Inc for their support
