body-sanctuary – Onishka

Sanctuary represents a refuge or place in which one feels safe and at peace.

Body-Sanctuary is an interdisciplinary artistic project that began in 2014 between four artists in dance, theatre, visual art, and video, and residents of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal. The first phase of the project focused on experimentation, research, and creation through a series of intensive workshops. The imminent second phase will focus on further development of material from the first phase towards the production of an installation-performance to be presented in 2017.

The project explores two central themes: the body as sanctuary and the body as storyteller. The theme of sanctuary is in some ways a response to the fragile life situation of the residents. Sanctuary represents a refuge or place in which one feels safe and at peace. This project expands on the notion by exploring where in one’s body one might find or create a sense of sanctuary, be it in a movement, a memory, a feeling, a sound, or an image. Beyond the individual, the search for sanctuary relates to the need to feel a sense of belonging and place in society.

The body as storyteller supports the notion of sanctuary because it gives a context in which sanctuary can exist. In knowing our personal history we know where we fit into the fabric of human relations. This theme is about how traces of culture and history remain in the body, the idea that the body contains memory and that memories are passed from one generation to the next through the body. It is about defining who one is and one’s sense of belonging through these traces, which reveal themselves through our movements, gestures, and the way we relate to others and our environment.

Through explorations of the different medium, artists and participants gather, share, and document personal stories and experiences. Each discipline brings a different texture to the creative form emerging, and reveals different layers of meaning related to the particular story being told. The stories that emerge are ones of loss, recovery, abandonment, support, violence, safety, love, and resilience in the face of many, seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Original Idea: Reena Almoneda Chang Creators And Facilitators: Reena Almoneda Chang, Dayna Danger, Émilie Monnet et Melissa Morris In Collaboration With: Residents Of The Native Women Shelter Of Montreal

« Dans ce projet, on explore certains concepts qui font partie de ma propre pratique artistique comme le métissage de diverses esthétiques culturelles, la rencontre entre les expériences personnelles et les enjeux globaux et sociaux, et surtout l’exploration du corps comme contenant de mémoire et conteur de l’histoire de l’individu. »

« En travaillant dans le communautaire, surtout avec des non-professionnelles qui sont dans une étape difficile de leurs vies, il faut absolument accepter l’imprévu dans le déroulement du projet. Il faut trouver un équilibre entre la valorisation de ce qui émerge dans le moment présent et la rigueur nécessaire qui permette d’avancer jusqu’à l’œuvre finale. »

« J’espère que ce projet, cette expérience, donnera aux femmes la possibilité d’exprimer un aspect de leur vécu qu’elles n’ont peut-être pas eu l’opportunité d’exprimer ailleurs. D’après mon expérience, le processus créatif nous permet parfois de transformer notre manière de voir, de vivre et d’interagir avec le monde. Même si la priorité des femmes est de récupérer leur vie et de guérir d’expériences vécues très difficiles, mon espoir est qu’elles puissent découvrir de quelle manière une expérience artistique peut être un outil de transformation personnelle. »

Sanctuary represents a refuge or place in which one feels safe and at peace.

VISUALS

PARTNERS