Sculpture

Unity, Awareness, Action!

Sculpture

2018

Through public presentation, viewer participation and text, Unity, Awareness, Action!, is an interdisciplinary travelling project which addresses educational, institutional oppression's such as post secondary tuition fee increases and the Lack of LGBTQIA2S* health resources and services, and fosters social justice issues by visually presenting a collective voice.

This project is informed by my personal collection of activist memorabilia and the stories and lessons that each item represents. This collection features a vast number of buttons pertaining to activist’s quotes and slogans from past protests and on-going campaigns I’ve participated in. These items are precious and cherished because they are a collection of people’s reflections on concerns, demands, dreams, and hopes for the future.

Taking the form of a podium – which represents the language and architecture of the institution -this project serves as a conversational and interventional work by its placement in community settings. In order to metaphorically dismantle the podium, the structure itself has been removed from the stage setting will be placed in a central, grounded level. Secondly, allow the community to participate in covering the structure and re-activate it with the aesthetic language of activism to present it then as a site of exchange and discussion.

The podium structure was built as a blank canvas and now acts as a site for participants to embellish with materials such as stickers and button designs which reflect educational institutional oppression's, social justice issues, and personal struggles which need to be heard, represented and responded to by the institution.

An initial material making workshop was facilitated in the atrium of Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, Corner Brook, where I encouraged people to create a sticker or button design by answering some of the following questions:

What are some barriers or obstacles you face on campus or in your community?

What forms of social justice issues would you like to draw attention to on your campus or in your community?

What actions have you taken to challenge oppressive frameworks? E.g. stereotypes, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, colonialism, etc.

Unity, Awareness, Action!, has recently travelled within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador to protests and student advocacy meetings. The podium has been present at this years Annual Student Budget Consultation(Grenfell), The Town hall session for students(Grenfell), the Stop Violence Against Women protest outside of the Danny Williams Court building and most recently, to Lisa Moore’s Author Talk on her book “The Democracy Cookbook” at the Ferris Hodgett Library, Corner Brook.