apparatus for the circulation of Indigenous voices and ideas into the air

Nov 10 — Dec 16, 2017
Field:

Exhibition

Description:

Apparatus for the circulation of Indigenous voices and ideas into the air was an exhibition by Duane Linklater inspired by Wawatay Radio—a network of radio stations in Northern Ontario that broadcasts stories, news, and music primarily in the Oji-Cree language. At the core of the exhibition was an AM radio transmitter that was moved from Linklater’s home in North Bay, Ontario to Western Front’s gallery. Broadcasting at 1700 AM, the station was offered as a space to the Indigenous community of Vancouver to use freely, or to broadcast their own songs, ideas, voices, poems, noise, jokes, complaints, grievances, readings, ramblings, and conversations for the duration of the exhibition.

A microphone, turntable, mixer, and other pieces of radio equipment were positioned on a table at the centre of the gallery, while the transmitter was secured to a tripod on top of a large speaker. A pair of hand dyed snowshoes, blue tarp, pink fabric, and painted rocks were added to the transmitter’s supports, rendering the structure into a sculptural form. 

Apparatus for the circulation of Indigenous voices and ideas into the air also served as the platform to launch EHEPIK records, a label initiated by Linklater that focused on releasing work by Indigenous artists. EHEPIK published a set of four 7'' vinyl records featuring Layli Long Soldier, Laura Ortman, Elisa Harkins, and grey plumes—a musical collaboration between Duane Linklater, Tanya Lukin-Linklater, and Raven Chacon. The records were played in the gallery and broadcast through the transmitter, extending the ideas of Linklater’s project beyond the physical radius of Western Front.

The exhibition also featured sculptural work and digital prints, four of which were dedicated to the artists published on EHEPIK. Boys don’t cry (2017), Linklater’s large-scale assemblage of hand-dyed panels, brings together images depicting Linklater’s hand, Robert Smith of The Cure, an excerpt of graffiti on Alcatraz Island that reads “Custer had it coming,” the logo of the American Indian Movement dyed pink, Indigenous session musician Jesse Ed Davis, and a reproduction of George Caleb Bingham’s painting Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (1845). Spanning fifteen feet across the gallery wall opposite the radio station, the artwork presents a constellation of references, relations, and memories that carry personal resonance for Linklater, while also speaking to shared experiences of identity formation through visual and popular culture. 

Linklater's exhibition apparatus for the circulation of Indigenous voices and ideas into the air was presented with support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Curated by Pablo de Ocampo.

Documents:

In the brightly lit white gallery, eight digitally printed, hand-dyed linens sewn together hang on the left wall. Near the right wall is a radio set up with a deck and a wired microphone hanging from the ceiling. Behind it sits a tall white speaker, and on it a pink and blue shawl wrapped into a cone formation, with a tennis racket at its top.
In the brightly lit white gallery with a single coral-pink window, sits a radio set up with a deck and microphone. A wired microphone coming from the deck hangs above a large white speaker. On the speaker are wrapped pink and blue shawls in a cone formation, with a tennis racket at their top.
Facing the gallery exit, in the forefront stands a large pink speaker with a blue and pink shawl wrapped around a cone formation. At its top, hang roles of wire, and on the right wall, hang multiple large, digitally printed, hand-dyed linens sewn together.
A textile work composed of eight screen-printed linen panels hangs from a dowel in a brightly lit gallery. The panels bring together text and archival images relating to Indigenous activism, music, and popular culture.
Brightly lit, hangs a hand-dyed pink American Indian Movement logo linen, and next to it, an inverted, quote, boys don’t cry, unquote, cream-colored, text linen hangs next to each other.
In the brightly lit, white gallery, a tarpaulin braid hangs from the wall. Under it hangs a miniature black-and-white photograph of a person in a white bonnet and dress, in a white frame.
On a white wall hangs a braid made of tarpaulin and elastics, and on the same hook, a powder-coated trap hangs.
On a white wall hangs a black-and-white illustration of a pale woman with dark hair, in a voluptuous summer hat and a white dress. The frame is white too.
In a brightly lit white gallery, a tennis racket hangs in front of a tripod wrapped with tarpaulin and coral cloth. Above it, wrapped wires hang from the tripod handle, and a microphone hangs from the ceiling.
In a brightly lit white gallery, a tripod wrapped with tarpaulin and coral silk stands on a coral-colored speaker. Extensive wire hangs wrapped around the tripod handle, and a tennis racket and radio transmitter hang behind it.
Frayed tarpaulin lies on a marble surface. Its light and shadow are reminiscent of oceanic waves. At its centre lies a pebble with a pale blue eye painted in its middle.
Two photographs in white frames hang in a row on a white wall. On top, a colored film photo of a fenced plot of grass and, below it, a black-and-white photo of a palm holding two broken wires.
A digital print in a white frame hangs on a white wall. In it, a racket and other miscellaneous items hang beside a mirror and a white mannequin.
In the centre of the brightly lit white gallery, stands a low table with a microphone, radio transmitter and vinyl turntable with wires sprawled across the floor. On the back wall hang two photographs in a row.
In a brightly lit white gallery sits a low table and chair. On the table sits a vinyl turntable, mixer deck, cassette, microphone, and two photographs.
In the brightly lit white gallery stands a large wooden speaker, on it a tripod wrapped in tarpaulin and pink silk, and behind it a low table with a microphone, vinyl turntable and mixer deck. On the walls hang linen, hand-dyed images of album covers, four illustrations and three photographs.
On the wall at the gallery’s exit hang four black-and-white, framed, digital prints in a row. The prints depict different masks, and on the perpendicular wall hangs a framed digital print.

Related People

Captions:

Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.

We use cookies on our website. Some are essential, while others help us to improve this website and your experience. Change your preferences any time via Cookie Settings or see our Privacy Policy for more information.
or
  • Essential: Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the website to function properly.
  • External Media (optional): Content from external video platforms and social media platforms is blocked by default. If these cookies are accepted, access to this content no longer requires manual consent.
  • Analytics: These cookies collect information anonymously to help us understand how our visitors use our website. We use Matomo and do not give analytic data to third party services.