Installation by Safira LachapelleCircle Space / January 7 - 18, 2013 / Medicine Hat, Alberta

11 Drawings / 2 Silent Videos / 1 Projection / 1 Audio

Thanks to Rory Mahony, Poul Nielson,

Mom, Alyssa, and Grandpa.

Remembering Video StillSingle Channel B&W Silent Video Loop, DVD, DVD Player, Projection, Size Variable, 6:12, 2012

Suicide Video StillsSingle Channel B&W Silent Video Loop, DVD, Monitor, DVD Player, 2:48, 2012

Suicide Installation DetailOil Pastel Charcoal, Linseed Oil, Monotype Prints, Mylar, Jute, Willow, Spotlight, Stone, (5)3.5 x 7ft, 2012

Suicide Installation DetailOil Pastel Charcoal, Linseed Oil, Monotype Prints, Mylar, Jute, Willow, Spotlight, Stone, (5)3.5 x 7ft, 2012

LightOil Pastel, Charcoal, Monotype Prints, Mylar, 3 x 7.5ft, 2012

FireOil Pastel, Charcoal, Linseed Oil, Mylar, 3 x 7.5ft, 2012

EarthOil Pastel, Charcoal, Mylar, 3 x 7.5ft, 2012

WaterOil Pastel, Charcoal, Mylar, 3 x 7.5ft, 2012

WindOil Pastel, Charcoal, Mylar, 3 x 7.5ft, 2012

Accident Video StillsSingle Channel B&W Silent Video Loop, DVD, Monitor, DVD Player, 2:39, 2012

Accident Installation DetailOil Pastel, Graphite, Charcoal, Linseed Oil, Mylar, Jute, Willow, Spotlight, Stone, (4)24 x 36in, (2)3 x 6ft, 2012

Remembering Artifact Installation DetailOil Pastel, Graphite, Charcoal, Linseed Oil, Mylar, Jute, Willow, (4)24 x 36in, 2012

Remembering Artifact DetailCharcoal, Graphite, Linseed Oil, Mylar, 24 x 36in, 2012

The Heart InstallationOil Pastel, Charcoal, Linseed Oil, Glue, Mylar, Spotlight, Stone, Salt, 3 x 6ft, 2012

The Heart Installation DetailOil Pastel, Charcoal, Linseed Oil, Glue, Mylar, Spotlight, Salt, 3 x 6ft, 2012

The Heart Detail Oil Pastel, Charcoal, Linseed Oil, Glue, Mylar, Spotlight, 3 x 6ft, 2012

The Body InstallationOil Pastel, Charcoal, Linseed Oil, Mylar, Jute, Willow, 3 x 6ft, 2012

The MusicAudio Loop, Audio CD, Mono, Speakers, DVD Player, Amplifier, 15:24, 2012

“To brush history against the grain and write a different account, one that deepens our understanding… one that seeks to reveal the interstices of resistance and pain.” - Walter Benjamin, Thesis on the Philosophy of History

What role does cultural identity play in the development of individuals and societies? I continually seek perspective to this question through the processes of cultural immersion and documentation. Reoccurring themes within my work reveal ideas of environmental sustainability, obsolescence, impermanence, humanity’s relationship to earth, traditional First Nation’s worldview, kinship, dreams, visions, the soul, and immortality.

The current on-going focus of my work is an immersion in the personal, cultural, and historical perspectives that surround loss, specifically from suicide and accident. Suicide has been called Canada’s silent epidemic, and along with accident is the leading cause of death in young men, particularly in First Nation’s communities. These forms of loss are unique in that they offer survivors an unexpected life. My interest and experience with unexpected loss and contemporary First Nations culture presents an opportunity to open this dialogue.

I am interested in how media such as drawing, installation, printmaking, text, sound, and video interact and layer meaning for audience. Is a story interpreted physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually by the viewer? Are cognitive and perceptive processes enhanced when diverse mediums work together? How do auditory, visual, and tactile stimuli affect that response?

The intent of this work is to continue exploring techniques that can be used to most effectively tell story. Story has the potential to act as impetus for personal and societal growth; this is a fundamental understanding in First Nation’s oral history teaching methodologies. I am interested in coalescing personal oral history collection with the creation of installation art. The documentation of personal stories will act as a primer for the creation of work and offer an open-ended interpretation to a melding of personal, cultural, and historical perspectives. My aim is that these interpretations will evoke memory and help guide the viewer to a greater truth.

Made possible with support from:

Battlefords and District Community Foundation Inc.