Introducing the ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ Artists ~ Amy Malbeuf
(Amy Malbeuf - artist portrait by Conor McNally)
ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ - Edmonton’s Indigenous Art Park is scheduled to open this fall. As the spring and summer progress, installation of artworks by Mary Anne Barkhouse, Duane Linklater, Marianne Nicolson, Tiffany Shaw-Collinge, and Jerry Whitehead will be completed. In anticipation of the park opening, the YEGArts Blog will feature conversations with the artists about their artworks and the inspirations behind them.
Today we feature Amy Malbeuf, a Métis visual artist from Rich Lake, Alberta. Her artwork is called ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ (iskotew).
(ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ (iskotew) installed and awaiting the final grading and landscaping - photo, Chelsea Boida)
Edmonton Arts Council: What is the inspiration behind ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ (iskotew)? How did you go about choosing a story of ‘this place’ to tell?
I knew right away I wanted to create something with language since there is a lack of visible Indigenous language in Edmonton.
Our languages are important because language inherently holds culture, knowledge, and worldview and Indigenous languages are rooted in the land. It then made sense to me to physically embed language in the land to draw a visual connection to this important relationship.
At first, I didn’t know if it was going to be a sentence, a word, or what kind of ideas I wanted to convey with the possible words. Then I thought of my own voice and power as a woman and how my voice and the voices of Indigenous women in this country both historically and in contemporary times are marginalized through continual attempted erasure through ongoing colonialism. I wanted to make something to give us voice – to honour our power and the work we do.
Once I started thinking in this way the word came to me ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ (iskotew) meaning fire in the Cree language. The Cree word for woman (iskwew) is related to the word for fire (iskotew). This sculpture was created to acknowledge the Indigenous women of the many nations of this territory past, present, and future.
(Detail of ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ (iskotew) showing the lustrous paint and vibrant colours - photo, C. Boida)
EAC: The colours are very striking – why did you choose them, specifically?
I wanted the colours to be uplifting, vibrant, and highly visible against the landscape. Choosing the colours was challenging because a fire could be almost any colour depending on the temperature and the material fueling the fire.
The final colours chosen are based on some of the beadwork colours from a Métis fire bag made by Mary Christie during the 1850s. The bag is now a part of the Southesk Collection at The Royal Alberta Museum and I had seen it there along with the other incredible works while doing some research and was very inspired by it.
(Early days - artist Amy Malbeuf with the full size maquette of ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ (iskotew) at her site in the park - photo courtesy of the artist)
EAC: Why was it important to you to use syllabics for this installation?
In the very early planning stages for this artwork I originally thought that I would somehow incorporate as many of the Indigenous languages of the Edmonton region as possible, however it proved to not be feasible, so I decided to go with my language, Cree.
I am not fluent in the Cree language but am always working towards learning more. I hope that with this project people will be inspired to learn more about their own languages and that it could be a catalyst for more Indigenous languages being made visible in Edmonton or other urban centres. It would be amazing to walk around this city and see Stoney Nakoda, Michif, Cree, Blackfoot, Saulteaux, Dene languages everywhere.
(Detail of ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ (iskotew) - photo, C. Boida)
EAC: What inspired you to submit a concept in 2015?
I feel very connected to Edmonton. I was born here, and I feel at home here. I love the North Saskatchewan River, so to create a work in relation to the river and in the city of Edmonton was really appealing to me.
The premise and process of the Indigenous Art Park seemed like a very unique project and as soon as I saw the call I knew it was something I would like to be a part of.
(Looking toward downtown Edmonton from behind ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ (iskotew) - photo, C. Boida)
EAC: How did the community contribute to this artwork?
Language is something that is inherently communal and shared. That’s one of the many reasons it’s so powerful.
When I started to work on selecting words for this project I approached it thinking from the questions of “What have I heard many times? In many places? By many different people?”. Spoken language is always shifting and evolving but iskotew in some form or another has been and will be spoken by the Cree speaking community for countless generations.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how the Edmonton community as well as visitors will interact with the syllabics.
(ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ (iskotew) - photo, C. Boida)
EAC: What are your thoughts on the workshop process? How did it shape or influence your final artwork?
It was both informative and enjoyable to hear the many stories of this place from many perspectives. It was also helpful in the practical sense of putting the proposal together, as not only were we able to visit the site prior to the proposal, many questions were addressed right on site as well.
Hearing the stories from various Knowledge Holders and Elders reminded me of the importance of keeping our cultures and languages intact for future generations and this affirmed my interest in working with language. I was especially inspired by Marilyn Dumont’s poetry reading as her work included themes about the lack of acknowledgment and respect for Indigenous women past and present that really sparked my thoughts on creating a sculpture for Indigenous women.
(Final detail shot - photo, C. Boida)
EAC: Why do you feel this art park is important/relevant?
Indigenous people face systemic and ongoing colonial violence and erasure. We are marginalized within our own territories, in this city and in this country so I think it’s very important to have spaces that celebrate our art and culture and a public space in the city for Indigenous people to feel connected and welcome in their own territory.
I think it’s important to have Indigenous art publicly and easily accessible so that non-Indigenous people may be able to learn more about our art and culture.