The Language the Land Remembers
Join us on May 6th, 2023, at 2pm at the Blue Cabin for a talk by Salia Joseph and Faith Sparrow-Crawford from Host Consulting entitled The Language the Land Remembers. This is the first session for Other Sights’ Foreshore Immersive , a conversation series that will run over 2023-2024.
The Language the Land Remembers speaks to a re-ordering of affairs in our own territory where we are pushing to the front of the line the ways that MST people speak to our territories and the way that our lands speak back. The centering of the languages that the land remembers, the design forms, the tongues, the belongings we come from that show our families, our lineages, our character. We intend to speak about the creation of Host Consulting on the grounds of celebrating our ways of being on our own territory so that our ancestors are surrounded by what they recognize, so that our littles ones and everyone in between know that they are home. This process requires pushing through decolonization as metaphor, and signaling allyship into something different. A new version of the old and breathing life in the future of our territories.
SALIA JOSEPH is from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Snuneymuxw First Nation’s on her father’s side and is British and Jewish on her mothers. Salia is a graduate from the First Nations and Indigenous studies program from the University of British Columbia. Salia is a Squamish language learner and is the executive director of The Sníchim Foundation which is a Sḵwx̱wú7mes language and culture non-profit. In addition to her language work Salia is the co-owner of Host Consulting Inc. which focuses on public art and elevating the designs and work of Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleilwaututh artists. Salia is very passionate about where she comes from and is and learning constantly about what it means to be Sḵwx̱wú7mesh.
FAITH SPARROW-CRAWFORD is from the Musqueam Indian Band in Vancouver, BC. She was raised in her community by generations of storytellers and artists, surrounded by a rich culture and oral histories that instilled in her a passion for the arts. Faith graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2017 with a major in First Nations and Indigenous Studies, focusing her degree largely on Indigenous new media. After graduation, she worked for her nation helping to further their self-governance and writing their constitution founded on their traditions, protocols, and oral histories. In 2019, Faith co-founded of Salish Locations Inc., a film location liaison company that focuses on creating representation for Indigenous peoples in the film industry on their own lands. Faith also co-founded Host Consulting Inc. in 2020. Coming from a creative family involved in the Vancouver Film Industry, Faith has always had a love for filmmaking and sharing the stories of her people. She has devoted herself to creating meaningful and transformative work that creates space for Indigenous peoples and people of colour in film and arts spaces.
HOST CONSULTING is a public art consultancy founded by members of the three Host Nations of Vancouver – Faith Sparrow-Crawford from Musqueam, Salia Joseph from Squamish, and Jade George from Tsleil-Waututh. Hosts’ mandate is to work towards greater representation of MST peoples on MST lands and to create futures where MST folks can see themselves reflected in their own territory. They created Host with voices from all three nations to ensure that they are embodying the types of relationships that have governed these territories for generations. The three host nations working with one another and creating beautiful futures for the generations to come. www.hostconsultinginc.com/
FORESHORE IMMERSIVE
The “foreshore” describes the land along the edge of the water that is both submerged and revealed by the tide. Very simply, it is the wet part of the beach, a place of unclear jurisdiction, and thus of contestation, friction, and constant movement. Those who dwell in this zone must continually adapt to a changing environment. The foreshore conjures histories specific to this region: narratives of trade and exchange, habitation and nourishment, resistance and violent erasure, and evokes the emergence of possible futures. The foreshore has served as a fertile operative metaphor for Other Sights’ thinking for some years, developing into several programming strains. These include the Foreshore series of research presentations (2016-18), to public programs associated with our commissioning activities.
Foreshore Immersive considers the potential of this zone in the context of response and adaptation to the pandemic, colonisation, climate crises, collective care and trauma.
Contemporary public art in British Columbia and beyond requires the creative vision and leadership of artists, writers and thinkers attending to the conditions of working in unceded territories, and to develop and strengthen partnerships between many individuals and organizations grappling with the uncertainties and challenges of the present moment. Foreshore Immersive, assesses the new conditions of public spaces at this phase in the pandemic, the ongoing urgencies of the climate crisis and the resurgence of Indigenous-led forms of scholarship and leadership. Artists, writers and others whose work exists philosophically, metaphorically and physically within the foreshore recognize the abundant potential of this interstitial space. In gathering at the foreshore, guest convenors will use the platform to network, share research, collaborate towards new workshops and partnerships and host discussions that will draw our communities of interest into relation on Musqueam, Kwantlen, and Tswwassen territory. www.theforeshore.org/
Event partner:
BLUE CABIN FLOATING ARTIST RESIDENCY is a mobile artist residency located in Vancouver British Columbia on Canada’s Pacific Coast. Currently located on a floating platform at Imperial Landing in Steveston Village, the residency gives the artist a unique perspective on the city from the water. The deckhouse is an off the grid home with modern appliances and comforts and a 360-degree view of the harbour, while the historic cabin acts as a studio for the artist’s activities. Located on the foreshore in close proximity to shopping and amenities, the Blue Cabin provides a home base in this waterfront community within the City of Richmond. The six to eight week time frame allows the artist time for solo production as well as opportunities for engagement within the community. www.thebluecabin.ca