Please join us for the opening reception on March 15th or visit the exhibition before it closes on April 8th! “Diasporic Spidering, Counter-Archiving, and Collective Memory” is an experimental exhibition that displays select videos from Rhodnie Désir’s “BOW’T TRAIL”, highlighting Haiti, Brazil, and New Orleans, and features a new sculptural installation titled “Silk Strands, Silk Traces”. Crafted by commissioned artist Alberto Castillo, this dynamic sculpture metaphorically reimagines the connectivities made possible through “Diasporic Spidering”. Based on the widely known folkloric character ‘Anansi the Spider’, Nadine George-Graves posits that the historic character provides a metaphor for how diasporic histories, ways of knowing, being and doing have survived over time and space. Utilizing local red-osier dogwood as well as Indigenous materials from Six Nations, the latching of wood with sinew is a nod to the ties that exist within the intercultural and interdisciplinary relationships that informed this creation and the land it is being created on.
“Diasporic Spidering, Counter-Archiving, and Collective Memory” is curated by Dedra McDermott @dancingdramaturg
PUBLIC PROGRAMS:
📌 Children’s Story Time:
March 16, 2024 from 11am to 12pm
“Afro-Caribbean Folktales: Anansi The Spider” is an oral storytelling event for children to hear about the folkloric character Anansi, who has ties throughout the African diaspora including West Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas. This event will share the tales of Anansi with a younger generation, providing an opportunity for artist-parents and their children to be immersed in the history being displayed around them.
This event aims to create a child-friendly space for Black, Indigenous and Racialized communities. Stroller storage is available in the space.
📌 Curatorial Tour:
April 5, 2024 beginning at 2pm
Join artist-curator, Dedra McDermott, for a tour of the experimental exhibition Diasporic Spidering, Counter-Archiving, and Collective Memory.
For viewings outside of the open hours, please email dedramcdermott@ocadu.ca
Masking is highly encouraged.