OtterWoman
Breathing

Cherie Moses

January 22nd – February 19th, 2011

Opening Reception

Saturday, January 22, 2 – 5 PM

Media Release (PDF)

Otterwoman Breathing, an oral history presentation, is comprised of three interactively engaged voices experienced within a visually enhanced surround sound audio environment.

Embedded in this audio piece is a personal history of Brenda Jones’s psychological adaptation to the duality of two cultures, to chronic illness and to her life. The title of this work reflects both Brenda’s First Nations’ name as well as the illness that has taken away some of her breathing capacity. Her voice reflects this pulmonary condition. As she continues to breathe, she is able to contribute meaningfully to the world with her wisdom and spirit.

The scripting, based on dialogues of Brenda Jones, voice #1 is spontaneous and follows a set of points/questions we mutually agreed upon. Brenda discusses her illness, her desire to communicate some wisdom for future generations, her mixed heritage and how that plays into her thinking.

Interwoven with Brenda’s words is the story of her Ojibway name: OtterWoman. Geeseesoukqua and Brenda have written this for the production. Geeseesoukqua, the elder who gave Brenda her name, is voice #2.

Voice #3 contributes to creating the architecture of surround sound. Together, Brenda and I wrote prose poetry that was translated into Ojibway. This text is a fragmented commentary on notions of story and memory.

Visually, individual letters create the phrase Breathing in Prayers. This is the last writing Brenda did for the piece. The text, angled on the gallery floor to reflect overhead spotlights, forms a half-circle, and draws the viewer into the ‘sweet spot’ to hear the surround audio mix.

My audio works are a form of archiving oral histories and wisdom. I see the oral tradition as complemented and maximized by the interface of sound technology. The idea of the private becoming public is essential to this work.

Cherie Moses
Bio:
Cherie Moses resides in Edmonton and she has exhibited internationally in a wide range of media, such as painting, photo-based work, prints, installations, performance art, audio and video. Her work can be found in collections throughout the United States and Canada. She has often dealt with content such as cultural displacement, immigration, gender and prejudice. The audio installation OtterWoman Breathing was inspired by her long standing friendship with Brenda Jones, whose wit, courage and intelligence during her chronic debilitating illness form the major dialogue. She is currently chair of the Fine Art program at Grant MacEwan University where she has taught for many years.

Producer, director, co-writer: Cherie Moses
Collaborator, co-writer, researcher: Brenda Jones
Voice#1: Brenda Jones
Voice #2 + writer: Geeseesoukqua (Vera Martin, elder)
Voice #3: Darlene Auger
Audio engineers: Wes Caswell, Randor Lin
Visual installation: Cherie Moses
Letter design and fabrication: Technical Cutting Solutions, Edmonton, AB

Special thanks:
This piece has received generous support from MacEwan research grants.
Thanks to Technical Cutting Solutions in Edmonton, as well as to Gunther Ruppel and Mark Freeman for their assistance with this exhibition.

WARC Gallery gratefully acknowledges the support of our members, volunteers and the following funders: