Touch Change: a conversation between Syrus Marcus Ware and !Kona video documentation
November 2, 2018
Creative Access Description
Colour digital video of a conversation event taking place in a nondescript gallery space. The video begins with a panning shot of folks in a separate gallery space socializing and taking in large scale pencil portraits of Black activists before cutting to the two presenters: a Black trans man with long multicoloured dreadlocks gathered together and hanging over his shoulder, wearing black pants and a black cardigan over a black t-shirt emblazoned with the words 'Museums are not neutral' and a Black woman with a flattop haircut, wearing all black with a white dress shirt and black vest open at the front. They are briefly introduced by the gallery curator, a Chinese person with short cropped dark hair wearing a black t-shirt and olive green pants. Sitting on either side of a small table with a red table cloth and several drinks on it, the presenters carry on a conversation with a warm rapport, their charisma, humour, and lived experiences frequently eliciting supportive snapping, applause, and laughter from the audience. The conversation unfolds organically and covers many topics including the origins of their friendship, the experience of living in Vancouver as a Black person from the 1990s until present time, the relationship between art and activism practices, speculative fiction and Black futurism, portrayals and tropes of Black people in media, Black arts communities in Vancouver and Toronto, representation and visibility, archiving and memory of Black art and activism, social media, and experiences of White supremacy in workplace, art gallery, and museum contexts. The conversation eventually opens to include the audience and several folks offer their thoughts and experiences on similar topics as well as invitations to Black community gatherings and other supportive spaces. A sense of bonding over shared struggles as well as hope for the future fills the room and the conversation ends to loud applause and cheers from the audience.Description
In conjunction with Syrus Marcus Ware's exhibition 2068: Touch Change at grunt gallery, Recollective: Vancouver Independent Archives Week presented a discussion between the artist and Vancouver-based activist and writer !Kona.Identifier
2018.1102 TOU V001Extent
1 digital video, 01:44:19Videographer
Rosalina CerritosCurator
Vanessa KwanCoordinator
Dan PonRelated program
2068: Touch Change (Related)In copyright. For uses beyond Fair Dealing, research requests, corrections, takedown requests, or other inquiries, please contact grunt gallery: archives@grunt.ca