Artist statement:
This billboard adaptation of a work of mine titled Chi Fii Embraces the Old Ones, 2021, presents two hammerstones wrapped in hand-beaded daisy chains. In this reworked version, the hammerstones are set against night and day sky. Working from my personal Cree and Métis worldview I respectfully present the stones as relatives with memory, presence, and knowledge.
The hammerstones, enlarged to reference an almost planetary scale, appear suspended in time. The beaded daisy chains symbolize youth while also referencing my nickname ‘chi fii’ which translates to ‘little girl’ in Michif. This is a nickname I chose for myself when I was a kid upon hearing my great grandmother Agnes Fisher’s nickname. Here, the wrapping of the daisy chains serve as gestures of embrace. Kîsik references both to my son and the space that houses stones, stars, and us; connecting personal memory with ancestral presence. Chi Fii Embraces the Old Ones, Kîsik Cradles Them is exploring how we can show care for all generations in non-linear ways.
Much of my lens-based work is created in response to the personal discomfort of placing familial objects into institutional spaces that have historically othered Indigenous individuals and communities. With this way of working, the hammerstones remain with me while also being accessible to an audience. What’s shown publicly is the gesture: the photograph as a protective intermediary, allowing for a form of sharing that maintains sovereignty.
This billboard adaptation of a work of mine titled Chi Fii Embraces the Old Ones, 2021, presents two hammerstones wrapped in hand-beaded daisy chains. In this reworked version, the hammerstones are set against night and day sky. Working from my personal Cree and Métis worldview I respectfully present the stones as relatives with memory, presence, and knowledge.
The hammerstones, enlarged to reference an almost planetary scale, appear suspended in time. The beaded daisy chains symbolize youth while also referencing my nickname ‘chi fii’ which translates to ‘little girl’ in Michif. This is a nickname I chose for myself when I was a kid upon hearing my great grandmother Agnes Fisher’s nickname. Here, the wrapping of the daisy chains serve as gestures of embrace. Kîsik references both to my son and the space that houses stones, stars, and us; connecting personal memory with ancestral presence. Chi Fii Embraces the Old Ones, Kîsik Cradles Them is exploring how we can show care for all generations in non-linear ways.
Much of my lens-based work is created in response to the personal discomfort of placing familial objects into institutional spaces that have historically othered Indigenous individuals and communities. With this way of working, the hammerstones remain with me while also being accessible to an audience. What’s shown publicly is the gesture: the photograph as a protective intermediary, allowing for a form of sharing that maintains sovereignty.
