SINGING OUR BONES HOME, 2013
JULIE
ART PROJECTS
JULIE
ART PROJECTS
singing our bones home is a homage to the buried bodies in the Markham Ossuary in Ontario, Canada. Simultaneously, this work reflects the constant relocation of Indigenous bodies that are moved, replaced, or stolen in various colonial geographies. This installation utilizes sound, projections, and sculpture to create a dialogue between the different architectural structures, the wigwam that represents nomadic lifestyles, and the wagon shed that is a symbol of settlement. In this installation the projections convey static or monochromatic landscapes that appear to be dismal or uninhabited, with ghostly figures moving throughout the sky. This contrasts with the diverse population currently living in Markham and other large urban spaces. The wigwam was constructed of natural material (willow saplings) and was covered with projection fabric to produce a light box effect. The ground was covered in cedar branches. When the viewer moved around the structure, sensors were triggered to arouse different sounds allowing the participants’ bodies determine the composition of the sound. The activation of the 360 binaural recordings consisted of outdoor ambient noises with the inclusion of four different honour songs in the lan- guages of Iroquois, Cree, Anishinaabemowin, and French/Métis. These songs are to honour the bodies and to begin to sing those bodies back home to the spirit world or, at the very least, give them some form of peace.