Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Ephemerals: Artists' Roundtable Discussion


The Ephemerals – Artists’ roundtable discussion

Friday, September 30, 2011 at 12:30 p.m.
Room 2M71 (2nd floor, Manitoba Hall), The University of Winnipeg

Presented by Gallery 1C03 in conjunction with Culture Days, this roundtable discussion will offer an opportunity for The Ephemerals artists Jaimie Isaac, Niki Little and Jenny Western to reflect publicly on their multi-disciplinary project, Trending, taking place in and around The University of Winnipeg campus between September 6th and December 3rd. The discussion will also provide a chance for audience and community members to raise questions and comments that they may have in relation to the project.

Those following our blog -- see this entry, this one, this one or this one or this one -- know that Trending consists of a four-day performative embedment on issues around fashion and Indigeneity on The University of Winnipeg campus (September 6th - 9th) by The Ephemerals, an all-female Aboriginal collective of artists and curators. By inserting themselves into the university community, The Ephemerals interrogate the trend of Indigenously-influenced clothing and accessories among post-secondary students, encouraging a critical reading of fashion as codified text and highlighting the need for deeper awareness of its cultural implications. Documentation of the performances and information related to the project can also be viewed at The Ephemerals’ blog.

Further supporting this project
is an ongoing multi-media intervention in two of the public display windows of the university’s Anthropology Museum (September 6th - December 3rd), drawing from and responding to the Anthropology Department’s Ethnographic Collection. Additional affiliated programming will include a public lecture by Dr. Jessica Metcalfe titled “Threads of Power: Native Designers of High Fashion, and Clothing as a Form of Resistance” on Friday, October 14 at 12:30 p.m. at The University of Winnipeg (Room 2C14) and a public screening of the film “The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters” (directed by Christine Welsh) in early November at Urban Shaman Gallery.

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