Many Indigenous people had asked that Canadians mark ‘Canada’ day with orange this year to acknowledge the innumerable deaths caused by residential schools, now being confirmed. As though blind to irony, these flags were stuck on each lawn in the town where I live as a realty advertisement. Using two rolls of fabric made from gathered advert flags, with the assistance of a self-identified settler, Tess Martins, I began to twist and wrap the fabric together into a twine cord. Creating a new material that can hopefully have some use or purpose.
For the five minutes, I spoke softly with Tess about my experience of these flags and my family’s history with residential schools. Viewers were able to come close and listen if they wanted. The conversation and the action try to create something useful or meaningful in the place of harm and hurt, through collaboration.
