November 21, 2017 - Émilie speaks about how her work on several projects is generated by her connection to the land, but also by the chance encounters that walking allows. We walked from Mile-End to the Mount Royal Cemetery, a route that she chose because we had enjoyed walking there once before. In compliment to the portraits of the mountain during the walks with Sylvie Cotton and Dominique Ferraton, here we can feel light and sound that occurs in the coldness of November. [Image/audio credit: Pohanna Pyne Feinberg]
BIOGRAPHY
Intergrating theatre, performance art and technology, Émilie Monnet’s artistic practice explores themes of identity, memory, co-existence and transformation. Her creations draw on the symbolic of dreams and mythology—personal and collective—to tell stories that question today’s world. In 2016, Émilie founded Indigenous Contemporary Scene (ICS), a critical and artistic manifestation of live-arts by indigenous artists. A small version of ICS was organized in Buenos Aires in March 2017 and brought together indigenous artists from Quebec and Argentina. Émilie’s heritage is Anishnaabe and French, and she lives in Montreal. Her artistic engagement is inspired by years of social activism with indigenous organizations in Canada and Latin America as well as community art projects with incarcerated women and Aboriginal youth.
REFLECTIONS TO WALK WITH
Is your relationship to walking different when you are in the city than when you are in the woods or a rural area?
How does walking help you learn about and connect with the history of the land?
Does walking help shift the way you are thinking about a project, a relationship or ideas?