Black Threads of the Canadian Tapestry

Black Threads of the Canadian Tapestry was inspired by a poem by artist, Donna Paris, "I Am Black History". In it, she recounts her family's multi generational presence in Canada including seminal indignities and obstacles that they had to endure. It concludes by stating that the sacrifices of those that came before contributed to her own personal triumph. After receiving feedback from people who experienced similar challenges related to race, she began a podcast to interview various Black Canadians ( intheblackcanada.ca ). A common and defining characteristic of the podcasts was that each interviewee described incidents from their childhood/adolescence that challenged or denied their belonging to the so-called Canadian narrative.

In 2019, she collaborated with photo based artist, David Ofori Zapparoli, on a journey to Canada's east coast to record oral histories and make environmental portraits of various participants. David's approach was to photograph participants using black and white images that would serve to provide a visual link to the formal portraits of the late 19th and early 20th century portraits of Black Canadians. At the same time, the monochrome treatment attaches a sort of temporal ambiguity to the portraits. Perhaps the most relevant clue that the photographs are contemporary is from the often smiling expressions of some participants. Compare this with the solemn expressions of sitters during the earlier days of portraiture when long exposures made smiling counterproductive to producing a clear image.

Ultimately, the artists are attempting to mine the raw material of evidence that Black folks have been participating and contributing to the fabric of what is today called Canada for many decades. The podcasts and photographs encompass a wide selection of urban and rural history--much of it previously hidden.

The project title was inspired by a phrase coined by Elise Harding-Davis.