400 X 464 inches
indigo hand dyed and waxed cotton, hand stiched mirrors, tarpaulin
Installed on the roof of the Adélard barn, the work evokes a vast starry sky and transforms the agricultural architecture of the place into a memory surface dedicated to the historical presence of black people in the region in the 19th century. Reflective and changing, it comes alive in contact with light, the sky and its immediate environment.
Inspired by the assembly logic specific to the quilt, this in situ installation is composed of hundreds of strips of black and blue textiles and a multitude of hand-sewn mirrors. Through its scale, the repetition of the gesture and the attention paid to textile materials, the work articulates a dimension that is both performative and commemorative. It takes root in the local history of the north of the Champlain Lake Valley, a territory associated with the underground railway routes, and pays tribute to black people who fled slavery in the United States, and whose work, often done in difficult conditions, contributed to the development of the Brome-Missisquoi region.
Accompanied by a sound piece by Markus Floats, the work offers a simple gesture, but full of symbolic significance: Listen and look up at the sky in recognition of people too long held on the sidelines of official stories.
Accompanied by a sound piece by Markus Floats