Sunday, August 28, 2011

I'm Back!! Je suis de retour!!

Sorry for the delay!  Je m'excuse pour mon abscence!


And so, to the next room, where we see the work of Sarah Anne Johnson.

Alors, à la prochaine salle, où on voit les oeuvres de Sarah Anne Johnson.



And here we see the view looking back.

Ici on voit la salle regardant par en arrière. 


Sarah Anne Johnson's grandmother was the victim of experimentation by Dr Ewen Cameron.  His experiments were funded by the Canadian government and secretly by the CIA during the 1950's and 1960's.  When soldiers returned from the second World War, the American Government was concerned about the communist or socialist ideologies they had adopted.  And so, the USA government funded secret research to attempt to brainwash, or reset minds. To do this research, unknowing patients being treated for mild depression were used, in the USA and Canada.  Experiments included insulin induced comas for days or even weeks at a time while playing continuous recordings, sensory deprivation, and heavy doses of LSD and speed.  In 1963, Dr Cameron gave up the research, as he felt it was not working, but did not inform the patients of what they were unknowingly a part of.  Only in 1977 were the families informed.  Many of the patients lost memory, the ability to work or engage in everyday life, to name a few of the tragic outcomes.  

La grandmère de Sarah Anne Johnson était victime d'expérimentation par Dr Ewen Cameron.  Ses expérimentations étaient payés par le gouvernement canadien et secrètement par le CIA aux années 1950 et 1960.  Quand les soldats retournaient de la deuxième guerre mondiale, le gouvernement américain étaient concerné de leurs nouveaux idéologies communistes ou socialistes.  Alors, les États Unis ont payé pour la recherche essayant d'effacer les mémoires de cobayes humains, sans leur connaissance de cet recherche, qui pensaient qu'ils seraient traités seulement pour leurs déprimes mineurs.  L'expérimentation incluait des comas incités par l'insuline pour des jours ou semaines à la fois pendant que des enregistrements jouaient, la privation sensorielle, et des quantités très hauts de LSD.  En 1963, Dr Cameron a terminé sa recherche, car il trouvait que ça ne marchait pas, mais n'a jamais informé à ses patients de quoi qu'ils ont fait parti.  Seulement en 1977 est ce que les familles ont étés informées.  La plupart des patients ont perdus la mémoire, l'abilité de travailler ou vivre une vie normal.


I will begin with the three walls where we see photographs on which Sarah Anne Johnson draws in a psychedelic style, or paints using acrylic.

Je vais commencer avec les trois murs pour vous montrer les photographes, sur lesquels Sarah Anne Johnson dessine du style psychédelique ou peinture utilisant l'acylique.

Sarah Anne Johnson, Dr Ewen Cameron, 2009

Sarah Anne's grandmother, Velma Olikow before the experimentations.

La grandmère de Sarah Anne, Velma Olikow, avant les expérimentations.

Sarah Anne Johnson, Velma Orlikow, 2008

Sarah Anne Johnson, Lysergic Acid and Diethylamide, 2008

After experiments.

Après les expérimentations. 


Sarah Anne Johnson, Brain Drain, 2009
Sarah Anne Johnson, Lavage de cerveau, 2009

Actual newspaper articles revealing the scandal.

Des articles de journaux décrivant le scandal.

Sarah Anne Johnson, House of Horrors, 2009
Sarah Anne Johnson, La maison des horreurs, 2009

Sarah Anne Johnson, My Mother, Her Daughter, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Ma mère, sa fille, 2008

Sarah Anne Johnson, Family Snapshot, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Photo de famille, 2008 

A young Sarah Anne Johnson and her grandmother

 Le jeune Sarah Anne Johnson et sa grandmère.

Sarah Anne Johnson, White Out, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Correction, 2008

Sensory deprivation.

La privation sensorielle.

Sarah Anne Johnson, Snow Pile, 2009
Sarah Anne Johnson, Tas de neige, 2009 

Sarah Anne Johnson says her grandmother became frigid.

 Sarah Anne Johnson dit que sa grandmère est devenue frigorifiée.


Sarah Anne Johnson, Family Tradition, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Tradition familiale, 2008 

A young Sarah Anne Johnson and her grandmother

 Le jeune Sarah Anne Johnson et sa grandmère.



Sarah Anne Johnson, Birthday Party, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Fête d'anniversaire, 2008

Sarah Anne Johnson, Black Cloud, 2009
Sarah Anne Johnson, Nuage noir, 2009

Sarah Anne Johnson, Burning, 2009
Sarah Anne Johnson, Brûlé, 2009


In the room are Sarah Anne Johnson's nine bronze sculptures, along with elements of ceramic, branches and fake fur.

Dans la salle il y a neuf sculptures de bronze avec des éléments céramiques, des branches et la faux fourrure.

Sarah Anne Johnson, Squirrel Head, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Tête d'écureuil, 2008

Sarah Anne Johnson, Cut, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Coupe, 2008

Sarah Anne Johnson, Black Out, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Trou noir, 2008

Sarah Anne Johnson, Poison Branch, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Rameau empoisonné, 2008

Sarah Anne Johnson, Sinking, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Naufrage, 2008
  

Sarah Anne Johnson, Backwards, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, A rebours, 2008

Sarah Anne Johnson, The Family Tree, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, L'arbre familial, 2008

Sarah Anne Johnson, Inside Out, 2008
Sarah Anne Johnson, Dedans dehors, 2008

Sarah Anne Johnson, Explosions, 2008


And we finish the room with Sarah Anne Johnson's doll house.  Perhaps it represents her grandmother's mind.  Each room has a different scene.  I will show you a few of these little rooms.

Et puis, on termine la salle avec la maison de poupée, qui représente peut-être l'intérieur de la tête de sa grandmère.  Dans chaque chambre on retrouve une scène.  Je vous montrerai quelques uns de ces petites salles.
Sarah Anne Johnson, House on Fire, 2009
Sarah Anne Johnson, Maison en feu, 2009














 

Sarah Anne Johnson believes perhaps her grandmother was inlove with her Dr, Ewen Cameron.

Sarah Anne Johnson croix que peut-être sa grandmère était en amour avec le docteur Ewen Cameron.


And I will leave you with a response from Wanda Koop from my interview questions.
Et je vous laisse encore avec une réponse aux questions de Wanda Koop.

"I have over 100 parkas.  Parka number one, my favourite is an Inuit parka from Baker Lake made especially for me by Irene Avalakiak in the early 1980s. It has a felt application of two big white hands that look like birds, placed on the butt.  Parka number two is a first nations floral embroidered green parka with a red fox trim.  I found it in a thrift store with a photograph in a pocket of its original owner at the Trappers Festival in The Pas in 1955.  She is proudly wearing her coat amidst a cache of dead red fox. Coming in at number three, I have a dark green down parka that is waterproof with a hood, and a brilliant orange fragile sticker attached to the left sleeve.  Number four, i have a camouflage parka, green brown and black, with a brilliant orange lining.  The camouflage, developed during the second world war, was based on the plane trees that flank the Seine River in Paris.  I have a myriad of ski jackets, they are green, blue, brilliant red, orange, pink, black, silver, white, beige, brown, purple, yellow, all with wondrous racing stripes.  Some are vintage and others are even more vintage. I also have many black down jackets with hoods, long, short, flouncy, minimal, architectural, and warm.  

As you can see, i love winter and i love parkas." 


Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Onto the next...the virtual tour continues Et la prochaine...la visite virtuelle continue

And so we left off here, amidst the dioramas...  we see Jeff Funnell's screen ahead.

Alors, on s'est laissé ici, dans la salle de dioramas... on voit l'écran de Jeff Funnell devant nous.

Looking from behind, we get a glimpse of Marcel Dzama's diorama.
En regardant par en arrière, on voit le diorama de Marcel Dzama.

 And from this perspective, Kent Monkman's.
Et de cet perspective, celui de Kent Monkman.

And from a bit further back, here is the segment of the room I will focus on this week.
Et d'un peu plus loin, voici la section de la salle qu'on regardera cette semaine.

William Eakin, Reunion, 2001

Pigment ink, jet print on canvas
Impression jet encre sur toile

Here William Eakin captures photographs often seen on tombstones.  The ceramic and enamel photographs are weathered by our extreme heat and cold, wind, rain, and snow.  By photographing these    portraits, Eakin shares with us this "new" layer, perhaps alluding to a certain spirituality, ghosts, or the soul of the deceased.

Ici William Eakin capture des photographes ornant les tombeaux.  Les photos en céramique émaillées sont soumis au chaleur, le froid, le vent, la pluie, et la neige.  En les photographiant, Eakin dévoile cette "nouvelle" couche, peut-être référant à une certaine spiritualité, aux fantômes, ou à l'âme des décédés.










 And here we see the entrance to Guy Maddin's theatre where My Winnipeg (2007) is screened in full length.  It is a 79 minute black and white film, a documentary mixed with myth of the city of Winnipeg.  We see many archival photos in the film, as well as historical events, our extreme climate, and aspects that define the city.

Ici on voit l'entré du théâtre où le film Winnipeg, mon amour (2007), de Guy Maddin joue en entière.  C'est un film noir et blanc de 79 minutes, un documentaire mélangé avec le mythe à propos de la ville de Winnipeg.  On voit plusieurs photos archivales, en plus des évènements historiques, notre climat extreme et d'autres aspects qui définie la ville.









On this next wall are works by Eleanor Bond and Jeff Funnell.

Sur le prochain mur on voit des oeuvres par Eleanor Bond et Jeff Funnell.

Jeff Funnell, Notes from the Inquest : Essays, 1991
Jeff Funnell, Notes de l'enquête : écrits, 1991

Jeff Funnell did many court drawings during the coroner's inquest of John Joseph Harper, giving the trial a personal perspective with a compelling sense of immediacy.
  
Jeff Funnell a fait plusieurs dessins en court pendant l'enquête du coroner  de John Joseph Harper, les donnant un perspective personnel.

During an altercation between police and John Joseph Harper, a Canadian Aboriginal leader from Wasagamack, Manitoba, Constable Robert Cross's weapon discharged resulting in Harper's death on March 9, 1988.  Police were searching for a 19 year old, after a car was stolen, and mistook John Joseph Harper, 36, for the young man.  J.J. Harper's family was so enraged by the murder that his youngest daughter hanged herself in protest.  The shooting was initially ruled an accident; however, a strong public outcry lead to an inquiry, the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry, of this case along with the murder of Helen Betty Osborne, into the imbalances of the colonial justice system lasting several years.  The inquiry drew many conclusions of the unjustices towards Aboriginal people, and that Constable Robert Cross had used excessive force in the fatal confrontation. 

Pendant une altercation entre la police et John Joseph Harper, directeur autochtone canadien de Wasagamack, Manitoba, le fusil du constable Robert Cross a tirer Harper, resultant à son décès le 9 mars, 1988.  La police cherchait un jeune homme de 19 ans qui a volé un auto, et se sont trompés avec John Joseph Harper, 36.  La famille de J.J. Harper était enragée, et sa plus jeune fille s'est pendue en protestation.  Le coups à feu était statué un accident, par contre, avec les vociférations du public, un enquête, l'enquête de la justice autochtone, à commencé et a duré plusieurs années.  Ceci a mené plusieurs conclusions des injustices contre les autochtones du système colonial, et a aussi terminé avec le fait que Robert Cross a utilisé la force excessive dans la confrontation fatale.
Robert Cross



Official documentation.
Documentation officiel.

Reenactment video
Vidéo de reconstitution

Eleanor Bond, The Spectre of Detroit Hangs Over Winnipeg, 2007
oil and pencil on paper

Eleanor Bond, Le spectre de Détroit plane sur Winnipeg, 2007
huile et crayon sur papier

With the panama canal finished in 1914, there began the commercial decline of development in Winnipeg, as goods would now be transported via the southern route.  Perhaps parallels to this are drawn here by Bond, showing Detroit who has greatly suffered with the automotive industry leaving the city.

Avec le canal du panama terminé en 1914, le début du déclin de développement de commerce a commencé à Winnipeg avec le transport passant maintenant par le sud.  Peut-être Bond fait des parallèles ici avec le Détroit qui a souffert avec le départ de l'industrie d'automobile.

Eleanor Bond, Winnipeg-Montréal, 2007
mixed media on paper - technique mixte sur papier


This final wall features works by Diana Thorneycroft.

Ce dernier mur montre des oeuvres par Diana Thorneycroft

In 2001, Diana Thorneycroft began creating miniature dioramas she would then photograph.  Using The Group of Seven's iconic paintings as backdrop, this body of work,  Group of Seven Awkward Moments, she "questions received ideas of national identity and patriotism employing irony and humour as agents in her investigation".

En 2001, Diana Thorneycroft a commencée à créer des dioramas en miniature qu'ensuite elle photographe.  Utilisant les peintures iconique du Group of Seven, elle créa ce serie, Group of Seven Awkward Moments. "L'ironie et l'humour sont les deux armes de l'artiste dans sa remise en cause des notions d'indentité nationale et de patriotisme.

Bob & Doug McKenzie were two brothers from the canadian television comedy SCTV in the 1980s.

Bob & Doug McKenzie étaient deux frères de l'émission canadienne SCTV des années 1980.

Diana Thorneycroft, Early Snow with Bob & Doug, 2005

Diana Thorneycroft, A People's History: Burning Braids, 2007
Diana Thorneycroft, A People's History, les tresses brûlées, 2007

Here Thorneycroft references the residential school system from the 1900s.  This system was implemented by the Canadian government to assimilate First Nations and force a colonial way of life upon the Aboriginals.  Children were stripped from their families and placed in these schools run by churches of all denominations.  The children were severely punished if they spoke their language or partook in their traditional activities, resulting in cultural genocide lasting generations, and even today.  An apology was only made in 2008 by Stephen Harper on the behalf of the Canadian government.

Ici Thorneycroft fait référence aux écoles résidentielles des années 1900.  Ce système a été implementé par le gouvernement canadien en un effort d'assimiler les premiers nations et forcer une façon de vivre coloniale.  Les enfants étaient arrachés de leurs familles et placés dans ces écoles dirigées par les églises de tous les dénominations.  Les jeunes étaient sévèrement punis s'ils parlaient leurs langues ou pratiquaient leurs activités traditionnels, résultant au génocide culturelle qui était évident pour des générations, et même aujourd'hui.  Un excuse a été fait seulement en 2008 par le premier ministre Stephen Harper à la part du gouvernement canadien.

Diana Thorneycroft, Maples and Birches with Winnie and the Pooh, 2009
Diana Thorneycroft, Érables et bouleaux avec Winnie et le pot, 2009

Here, one could assume Thorneycroft is again referencing the residential schools.  When the young First Nations returned to their families, the were sometimes met with resentment due to changes created by colonials.
And of course we see Winnie the Pooh, named after Winnipeg! (see earlier post, July 27)

Ici, on pourrait deviner que Thorneycroft réfère encore aux écoles résidentielles.  Quand les jeunes autochtones retournaient à leurs familles, ils n'étaient pas toujours accueillis à cause des changements créés par les coloniaux.
Et bien sur, on voit Winnie l'ourson, nommé après le Winnipeg!  (voir ancien post, le 27 juin)

à la prochaine!!  merci de me suivre!!

until next time, i will leave you with this interview with Noam Gonick.


1- Have you been to Paris, or shown in Paris before? (when...what...?)

I spent New Year's Eve 2000 in Paris because my editor got me spooked about Y2K, and I didn't relish the thought of spending doomsday in an arena in St. Vital with shrieking families, so I preemptively went to Paris to stay in the Cite Des Artists on the Seine with my friend Etoile Stewart. When Y2K failed to materialize I returned to Winnipeg and edited the film, which was later opened theatrically in Paris. I've also done an artist's talk at Théâtre du Renard, shown a film at Jeu de Paume.

2- How would you compare the art scene in Winnipeg to Paris?
Paris' art scene is much more complex in terms of the art industry, dealers, collectors, private foundations like Maison Rouge. The sense of history is strong, and the fusion of fashion and film, philosophy and academia all underpinned by a huge tourist trade that will pay to attend shows like My Winnipeg. Winnipeg is obviously more obscure, although one could argue that these deprivations have been beneficial to the artists here and that being on the margin is a privileged place to be. 

3- What about Winnipeg's art community do you feel makes it unique?

There's a delicate mix of poverty, cheapness of living, arts funding, Native reality, radical thinking and conservatism, climatic extremes, boredom and revolution, support and indifference - the right combination of elements to foster creativity.
4- When away from the Winnipeg winter, do you miss it?

I've never really done the winter vacation thing, so I can't say.
5- What colour is your winter parka, and do you brave the season in sneakers, or prefer the warm comfort of boots?

I have an old raccoon fur coat that keeps me warm until -25, and a heavy fox trimmed Borg coat for anything colder then that. I've always worn normal street shoes with two pairs of socks.