Ruth del Fresno-Guillem
Electronic Media Review, Volume Seven: 2021-2022
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The following work is based on a work in progress about integrating oral tradition and Trust in the conservation of Performance Art. One of the goals is to evaluate the possible use of oral tradition and cultural transmission. For this purpose, some contemporary Indigenous artists’ practice and their link to the Indigenous tradition have been studied. Documentation is keen in the conservation strategies developed until now, and oral transmission has been used as a trusting way to “document” for many years in some communities. It seems adequate to include the voice of other cultures and points of view in the conversation, considering Performance Art, a non-object-based discipline involving humans, space, and time. The research project focuses on studying, analyzing, and evaluating conservation strategies for performance-based artworks and learning if something can be added to the already developed research. This article is a fraction of the project, focusing on learning from some Canadian Indigenous artists and art professionals. Furthermore, the article is interested in deep diving into the possibilities that Trust could offer to conservation. The idea of Trust might be another layer to include in the biography of performance artworks. Integration of other cultural approaches, inclusivity, and flexibility are essential.
Introduction
As this article wants to explore indigenous points of view, I will begin by acknowledging that I am a 21st century settler Spanish-Canadian working and living on aboriginal land that has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the beginning of time. I thank all the generations of people who have taken care of this land. Long before today, there have been aboriginal peoples who have been the stewards of the place where I am writing this article, Richmond Hill, Ontario, situated on the lands covered by Treaty 13 and the Williams Treaties. In particular, I acknowledge the Wendake-Nionwentsïo, the Hodinöhsö:ni´ (Haudenosaunee), and the ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ (Anishinaabe) peoples. Using Dr. Gerald McMaster’s (Blackfoot/Plain Cree) words, “I pay my respects to those who use art as a voice of our future.”
This article is part of ongoing research on the conservation of performance art. This study aims to be global and inclusive. It seeks to find common areas and strategies to raise awareness for emerging and non-emerging performance artists, open options, and conversations. For many years, the artist interview has been the focus of my research (del Fresno-Guillem 2017); thus, oral connections and knowledge related to it are essential aspects that connect with my interests. Therefore, the ongoing research aims to understand indigenous oral tradition and cultural transmission. I am willing to find an addition that I have, unwittingly, disregarded—studying contemporary performance Indigenous artists and their link to their indigenous tradition. It will tentatively explore their concept of community and reliable network of knowledge.
I like to define my work as an act of “care.” I am a “caregiver.” I Care. From my point of view, there are some cross-functional concepts in conservation; one is Care. Care has been at the center of many conversations in contemporary art conservation. For instance, at the colloquium Performance: The Ethics and the Politics of Care, Bern University of the Arts, May 29–30, 2021, many presenters, such as Hélia Marçal, Brian Castriota, and Hanna Hölling, pointed toward Care. Practices of Care. Hölling raised the question of ethical and political implications arising from caring, as each decision to care is also already political. Her words about the subject of care are appealing: “Contemporary discourses of care emergent from recent art and material culture have long left behind both the stasis of objects and the physical stabilization of artifacts as dominant forces in conservation. Not only is the way we care considered in the larger picture of how we as humans relate to the world—of biological and non-biological bodies—but also how conservation is entangled in larger issues of ethical responsibility toward the Other” (Hölling 2021, 1). That concept of the other wants to be highlighted in this article by looking into some Canadian Indigenous artists and their perspectives toward conservation. Those that Western practices of care have not invited into the conversation.
Another recent example of the interest in care could be found in the AIC 2021 conference, where a session entitled “Transforming Ownership into a Network of Care” focused on it. Researchers and conservators Annett Dekker and Aga Wielocha questioned what the concept of Care means and proposed a network of Care. A network of care is also the idea behind Reshaping the Collectible: Tony Conrad, Ten Years Alive on the Infinite Plain, where, among other things, oral histories, memories, and recollections are gathered in the process of “slow collecting” (Laurenson in Hölling 2021). Oral histories were also part of the strategies exposed at the Bern colloquium when the Museum of Modern Art’s media and performance department team talked about collecting performance. They suggested that conservation happens through teaching—the oral, visual, and bodily transmission of knowledge (Hölling 2021). Therefore, oral histories and oral transmission seem to be part of the network of care. But entangled in the reflection, it is crucial to remember that care is never neutral (Puig de la Bellacasa 2017). Although care is not the central topic of this article, it was essential to remark on the importance of the subject, as the practice of conservation is approaching care from many perspectives and making us reflect on the use of this term.
This article aims to study and explore oral narratives and cultural transmission as a possibility to enhance conservation strategies. As remarked, oral documentation is not a new idea, but the indigenous use and perspective of this practice might be different from the perspectives we have been contemplating (note 1). Since becoming aware of Indigenous traditions, I learned that their way to understand the relationship between culture, people, and the world is based on care, kindness, Trust, and wholeness. Preservation is about people (Clavir 2002).
It seems crucial to highlight that the writer of this article is not an indigenous woman; therefore, no appropriation or “use” of any indigenous or other people’s words is intended. Only the interest in learning with the help of understanding different ways to read the world and other ways to embrace conservation moves this research. It is not one or the other; it is about synergies. As the perspective and intention are not new, a willingness of persistence drives this text.
Trust, a Possible Factor
Would Trust be the key for an art that is not material-based and involves humans, space, and time? Brené Brown considers Trust as the source of all good relationships. In John Gottman’s words, “Trust is built in very small moments, and to choose not to connect when the moment is given, that is a betrayal” (Gottman 2011). Thus, considering these words, I want to believe that conservation is a relationship that can be built in very small moments of vulnerability and understanding. Therefore, Trust could be an essential aspect to have in mind when the moment is given between the work of art, the artist, and the network of care. Can we create a conservation strategy and guidance based on Trust? If yes, how will it include as many definitions of Trust as possible?
I intend to look at storytelling. I will explore how indigenous traditions and culture shape how they perceive conservation. The idea is to open the conversation and include the Indigenous perspective to learn and evaluate how to enhance the conservation practice, always from a cautious and respectful point of view, recognizing that I am the Other in this case—not appropriating but adding the perspective of Others. Which questions do I need to ask for the study to find a common direction? I do not have answers yet, but I intend to provoke a discussion regarding Indigenous perspectives for performance art preservation.
Hélia Marçal reminds us that “Conservation does not exist in isolation [that we must] think about who holds the knowledge in ways in which knowledge culture underpins practice and how those can impact how artworks unfold over time. Who is part of those ecologies, and how can conservation work toward building and maintaining them? Whose perspectives are we excluding?” (Marçal 2021). In addition, when talking about the network models, Dekker points out who controls what and who has access to the information (Dekker, Wielocha, and Valle Noronha 2021). Marçal and other scholars remind us of the terms coined by Karen Barad, Respons-ability and account-ability. I must remember whom I am leaving out every time I make a decision.
In my opinion, awareness is one of the necessary actions we can raise to preserve artworks; that is why I talk and engage with emerging and mid-career artists. Raising awareness about conservation has proven to be a very effective strategy for preventive conservation (del Fresno-Guillem 2021).
As pointed out, documentation is present in many conservation strategies. We are talking about documentation and meta-documentation in many cases. The idea of the archive is always present, too. But the way we (and I mean Westerners) understand this documentation is different from Indigenous people and other groups of people. The Western idea has given little space to flexibility. Rebecca Schneider discusses that the concept that archive scholars present is often very narrow to documents, and this idea of the archive is not universal. For instance, she tells about a conference where archivists Mary Edsall and Catherine Johnson described “the problems of preserving performance, declaring that the practices of ‘body to body transmission,’ such as dance and gesture, mean that ‘you lose a lot of history.’” Schneider continues, “such statements assume that memory cannot be housed in a body and remain, and thus that oral storytelling, live recitation, repeated gesture, and ritual enactment are not practices of telling or writing history” (note 2). Therefore, it would not be accurate and reliable. Today, “the domain of the document has expanded to include ‘the spoken word, the image, and gesture’” (note 3). However, it is still complicated to find it as a generalized practice.
According to scholars Renée Hulan and Renate Eigenbrod, oral traditions are “the means by which knowledge is reproduced, preserved and conveyed from generation to generation. Oral Traditions form the foundation of Aboriginal societies, connecting speaker and listener in communal experience and uniting past and present in memory” (Hulan and Eigenbrod 2008, 7).
Robin Kimmerer (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) says, “Our elders say that ceremonies are the way we ‘remember to remember’” (Kimmerer 2013, 19). Could we use the memory, remember, to preserve? Indigenous people pass their histories, legends, and family remembrances down through the oral tradition, usually through the older people. The best aspect known is telling stories. They generally have no linear narrative. Many stories are ongoing and can be carried over through time. The stories are layered and carry multiple meanings. In the oral tradition, some narratives are considered sacred and are told only at certain times and only to specific people. Family and community records were usually a task given to older women. These stories and accounts have been passed without ever being transcribed (Stephen J. Augustine in Hanson 2010). Indigenous storytellers were one the first performance artists. This is a collective memory that will mean knowledge built by the collectivity, which could resonate with the idea of the network of care that has already been discussed. Like the collectivity referred to by Pip Laurenson, a trusted group of people worked in the Ten Years Alive on the Infinite Plain. Collectivity and Trust. Laurenson emphasizes the importance of maintaining an essential network of collaborators. An assemblage. Another example of Trust, care, and collectivity could be found in the work presented by Brian Castriota and Claire Walsh about the ongoing acquisition by the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin of the performance piece The Touching Contract (fig. 1). This process aims to preserve the artwork’s collaborative methodology and feminist ethos.
So, we have examples of new perspectives and care in the conservation field.
It is interesting to remark on the words of Erin Hanson to remember some of our bias concerning writing and orality: “Critics wary of oral history tend to frame oral history as subjective and biased, in comparison to writing’s presumed rationality and objectivity. In Western contexts, what is written down is taken as fact. Such assumptions ignore the fact that authors of written documents bring their own experiences, agendas, and biases to their work—that is, they are subjective” (Hanson 2010, 1).
We might consider that writing and orality can be complementary.
Some stories are meant to be heard only by specific people. As such, oral histories must be told carefully and accurately, often by a designated person who is recognized as holding this knowledge. Could we do this as conservators? For instance, Tino Seghal wishes his works to be transmitted and documented as oral and rehearsal knowledge, and no physical documentation is allowed. Moreover, the argument presented here is not precisely Seghal’s position.
Some Indigenous Artists to Illustrate
Some examples of Indigenous Performance Artists could be Rebecca Belmore (Anishinaabekwe, Ojibwe), NIAP (Nancy Saunders, Inuk), Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory (Kalaaleq, Greenlandic Inuk), and Maria Hupfield (Anishinaabe, Ojibwe, and a member of the Wasauksing First Nation). Many Indigenous Performance Artists are women, and almost all of them base their practice on their Indigenous traditions. It is interesting to see how they use words like activation to talk about their objects. For example, Maria Hupfield, who identifies herself as a maker, says that her objects must be activated (fig. 2). They are not static inanimate. They, as the objects used in rituals, are alive. The body and its link to the land are also a constant for these artists. They declare in many interviews how they have learned through their female family members through oral transmission and storytelling. If oral tradition is part of their creative process, why should it not be part of the conservation strategy?
Artist Lori Blondeau (Cree, Saulteaux, and Métis), who primarily works with performance, hails from the George Gordon First Nation. She is based in Winnipeg and a scholar at the University of Manitoba, as well as a 2021 Governor General’s Awards Recipient. She self-labeled as a “high-tech storyteller.” In our conversations, I exposed her to the idea of oral transmission as a possible conservation strategy. Some of her recurrent sentences about performance could be aligned with this idea: “My late mentor James Luna once told me: ‘Performance offers us Indians the chance to say things you can’t say in other mediums without compromising who we are’” (Blondeau 2021).
Maybe this could be interpreted as an interesting way to see oral preservation—as a way to preserve without compromising what performance is. Interestingly, as was discussed in Bern’s colloquium, many performance artists are part of minorities (understood as [misrepresented] communities). Blondeau’s art reflects the ways Indigenous women are often stereotyped in the media, news and popular culture. Observing the notions of identity associated with Indigenous women. Two main stereotypical figures in Blondeau’s art include the Indian Princess and the Squaw. About her 1996 piece called COSMOSQUAW, Blondeau said she was inspired to create an image specifically for Indigenous women (fig. 3). The photograph, illuminated in a lightbox, contains an Indigenous woman with full hair and make-up and a red dress as she leans forward for a kiss. Laid out like a magazine cover, the image includes headlines such as “10 Easy make-up tips for a killer Bingoface!” and “Learn How to Spoon-feed your Man!”
Most of the consulted Indigenous artists state how their tradition has influenced their work. It is the source behind their creative process. In Lori Blondeau’s case, it is indicated in every written document, article, and press note: Her work comes from the tradition passed through oral history and oral tradition by her mother, grandmother, and other ancestors. “I grew up being told stories, and I [am] still being told stories, and now I tell stories. That is something the colonizers couldn’t take away from us. We still have our stories” (Blondeau 2021). Blondeau’s work is processual and intimate, connected to the women in her family. Therefore, a conservation strategy based on oral tradition and Trust should be adequate. In our conversations, I asked Lori about reenactment and the originality of the work, and she was clear about the idea of adaptability and change. She said that for indigenous people, there is no such thing as authenticity based on what Western cultures traditionally use to define it. That is something static, and Indigenous cultures are not static; they do think in a holistic way. Dr. Gerald McMaster in a conversation with Greg Hill stated, “They are not objects, but subjects. Indigenous people don’t understand the problem western people have with the concept of ‘authenticity’ based in the ‘original” object.’ It is authentic the way that it is recognized by the appropriate subject.” Curiously, this is not only for the Indigenous, as Professor Shasreck Chirikure stated in his presentation at University College London last March. Heritage in Africa is also not static; it is not about integrity and authenticity. It is about people, lives, and what local people think is heritage. Therefore, in the same line of thought of Miriam Clavir’s idea on conceptual integrity (Clavir 2002), the idea of not only material but “use,” spirituality, magic integrity could be introduced to the oral history or oral transmission strategy for performance art.
Conclusions
“Can a work of art be remembered, collectively or individually, rather than conserved? And if so, how? Can documentation stand in for the work in its absence? How can a fragment become representative of the artwork?” (Hölling 2017, 7).
If performance art is a time-limited, non-material-based form of art, maybe one preservation strategy could be oral transmission. A way to preserve based on Trust and nonphysical supports. Something that forces the network of care to rely upon each other, to question their procedures to include nontangible strategies. Learning and working with Indigenous cultural experts and Indigenous artists might help find a flexible and dynamic strategy to preserve performance art of any kind, not only Indigenous performance art. With them included in the conversation, not appropriating a tradition that is not ours. Although cultural and oral history exists in many cultures, not only in Indigenous culture, it is the idea of trust and reliance on it that is different. It is the acceptance of imprecision and flexibility. We agree that it is necessary to create an assemblage, a trusted group of people, a network of care, maybe with a designated person who is recognized as holding this knowledge. These strategies highlight the critical necessity of raising awareness of different ways to understand conservation. Expanding the definition of our profession and some other definitions, such as authenticity or originality, could help switch gears. Trust and Care are essential skills we should consider when becoming conservators and humans. We might need to include other definitions of Trust that we have not investigated yet.
Oral narratives do not have to be told precisely the same way—what is fundamental is whether or not they carry the same message. And this idea could be the key to performance art conservation. Since every iteration is different, even if we try to make it identical—the public, the context, the air is different—we could learn to accept variations. If performance art’s essence is time and the immateriality of the art manifestation, maybe a culture based on the oral tradition could be a great source of knowledge. For that matter, we have to work synergistically to nourish. Perhaps we could consider a shift away from “best practices” to “wise practices” as Dr. Kisha Supernant suggests when talking about their book “From Archaeologies of the Heart” (Supernant, 2021). And following Rebecca Schneider’s idea, we need to expand the concept of conservation; Schneider argues that to conserve the performance is to preserve the conditions for the performance to change. Maybe this idea of conserving the conditions could be intertwined with the inclusion of oral techniques and oral transmission, where the artwork and its network of care could enhance its perspectives, including other voices.
NOTES
1. Before going deeper into the discussion, I will borrow Clavir’s words: “(…) it is necessary to reiterate that any tendency toward generalization must be tempered with the knowledge that there are hundreds of distinct Aboriginal cultures in North America alone—all having various histories, cultural differences, and contemporary outlooks, and all containing individuals with various perspectives” (2002, 76).
2. Comments by Edsall and Johnson made at the panel “Documentation in the Absence of Text,” during the conference “Performance and Text: Thinking and Doing,” sponsored by the Department of Theatre Arts, Columbia University, New York, 2–4 May 1997, quoted in Rebecca Schneider, “Performance Remain Again,” in Archeologies of Presence: Art, Performance and the Persistence of Being, edited by Gabriella Giannachi, Nick Kaye, and Michael Shanks (Routledge, 2012), 67.
3. Expanded domain of term “document” by J. Le Goff, History and Memory (Columbia University Press, 1992), quoted in Rebecca Schneider, “Performance Remain Again,” in Archeologies of Presence: Art, Performance and the Persistence of Being, edited by Gabriella Giannachi, Nick Kaye, and Michael Shanks (Routledge, 2012), 65.
REFERENCES
Blondeau, Lori. 2021. “Portrait of Lori Blondeau, 2021 #GGARTS Winner.” Governor General Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Video directed by Rhayne Vermette. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KJzT5egtV8&ab_channel=CanadaCouncil.
Clavir, Miriam. 2002. Preserving What Is Valued: Museums, Conservation, and First Nations. Vancouver: UBC Press.
Dekker, Annet, Aga Wielocha, and Marina Valle Noronha. 2021. “In Search of Sustainable Care for Digital Art: Establishing Networks, Enhancing Collaboration and Shifting from Ownership to Commons.” Paper presented at Contemporary Art and Electronic Media Joint Session 1: Transforming Ownership into a Network of Care at the 49th AIC/SPNHC Joint Virtual Annual Meeting.
Del Fresno-Guillem, Ruth. 2017. “La entrevista al artista emergente como modo de conservación preventiva. Estudio aplicado a los proyectos ‘Perspectives Art Inflammation and Me’ y ‘Perspectives, Art Liver Diseases and Me.’” Unpublished PhD thesis. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/90410.
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Dr. Ruth Del Fresno-Guillem
Conservator and Awareness Riser in Private Practice
Ruth del Fresno, Integral Art Services
Richmond Hill, ON, Canada
ruthdelfresno@gmail.com