Ghostkeeper
Video
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"White Shame" grunt gallery Performance 1992
Performed at grunt gallery in 1992, this brilliant multimodal work begins with a moving poem in both Cree and English, and then moves into a combination of slides, painting, video, and performance, all describing different narratives of suffering under colonial Canada. The performance then shifts as Ghostkeeper takes a number of traditional eagle feathers and stitches them to his chest while a constant drum beat plays in the background. Ghostkeeper then continues on, involving the audience in the conclusion of his haunting performance.
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1:12:06/607MB
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1:12:06/31MB
Western Front Performance 1992
A recording of Ahasiw’s collaborative performance with a community elder, presented at the Western Front. The performance starts with the rhythmic progression of drums and chanting, with a spoken word piece juxtaposed between sounds and poetry in both Cree and English. In the second act of the performance a human body is wrapped with a moose hide on a platform hung from the ceiling. This is accompanied by further spoken word, singing and overhead video intercut of imagery from the video ‘Hung.’
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49:31/322MB
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49:31/20MB
with Emily Faryna "Under Which We Live" part 1
The first tape of this two-part series of experimental video art and performance project, ‘Under Which We Live,’ took place at various locations across Vancouver. The visuals follow a number of abstract video shots of different buildings, fences, gates and other architectural structures with negating filters and video feedback to help create a disassociated environment for the viewer. A soundscape interweaving electro-acoustic and First Nations drums and rhythms further adds to the ambient nature of the piece. This project was completed in collaboration with Emily Faryna.
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21:22/169MB
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21:22/9.7MB
with Emily Faryna "Under Which We Live" part 2
The second tape of this two-part series of experimental video art and performance project, ‘Under Which We Live,’ took place at various locations across Vancouver. The visuals begin with the focus on a TV screen and then follow a number of abstract video shots of different buildings, fences, gates and other architectural structures with negating filters and video feedback to help create a disassociated environment for the viewer. A soundscape begins with a dark poetic narrative around the dominance of prevalent patriarchal systems upon contemporary society. Below this poetry is a soundscape interweaving electro-acoustic and First Nations drums and rhythms, further adding to the ambient nature of the piece. This project was completed in collaboration with Emily Faryna.
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11:18/88MB
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11:18/4.8MB
"Hung"
A short edit of an interventionist performance of Ahasiw tied, bound and hung from a tree in the forest. Shot in a haunting, 16 mm film aesthetic, this short yet vivid piece uses a number of shots of the forest, the entire body, and close-ups of the body being hung. The work speaks to Ahasiw’s recurring theme of being hung.
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1:00/9.3MB
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1:00/500KB
INDIANacts Conference panel 2002 11 30
Ahasiw speaking at the INDIANacts Conference panel in 2002 about the place of history, growth, and development in his work. Themes discussed include the importance of language, the influence of his grandmother, and the different exploratory journeys he went through to arrive at his place in 2002.
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6:48/45MB
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6:48/3.1MB
Ahasiw Interviewed INDIANacts Conference 2002 12 01
A one-on-one interview with Ahasiw recorded during the INDIANacts Conference in 2002. Themes include the influence of his grandmother in his life, the influence of a troubled family life in early childhood, and how these experiences helped to transform him into the artist he is. Specifically, he focuses on the community-based arts practice that he feels essential to bring to younger people in First Nations culture, and the privilege he feels to be in such a position within the artistic community.
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15:02/119MB
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15:02/6.9MB