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.