“Slow Art in a Time of Flash Floods: What’s a Queer Feminist Settler To Do?”
Multimedia essay, Studio XX Electronic Review, .dpi, Issue #25, “Inevitable Transitions,” 2013.
Available online here.
Abstract: In this reflective piece I enact a curious collision between “Inevitable Transition,” the theme of this issue of Studio XX’s .dpi , my own artistic practice, and my thinking about Hurricane Sandy. To say that something is inevitable is to state that it is unavoidable, that something is bound to happen. There is a certainty involved in the inevitable. The word transition suggests a process or change from one state to another. I have taken the opportunity presented by this themed call to revisit some of my artistic work, to explore how thinking through the concept of “Inevitable Transition,” might deepen my understanding of my practice. I bring to my considerations, the very real Frankenstorm, Hurricane Sandy, the largest storm of its kind to hit North America. It is imperative to make the connections among colonization, environmental devastation, climate change, corporate greed, and power. Can slow art, poetic, abstract, and conceptual art; meaningfully address the urgent need for widespread understanding of these strengthening relationships? How do I, in my art practice, wrestle with the brutalities of colonization, and the associated environmental catastrophes brought on by unbridled and unregulated capitalism and corporatism? As an artist, I feel the need to break the silences surrounding these processes.
.dpi is a feminist journal of art and digital culture. Based in Montreal and published online, .dpi offers a unique and bilingual space for dialogue and interdisciplinary critical reflection, research, experimentation, and documentation. .dpi is a space where many voices situated at the intersection of art, technology and feminisms can be heard.
Some stuff on facebook:
– Paul Burrows: Cool piece by Roewan, asking: “How do I, in my art practice, wrestle with the brutalities of colonization, and the associated environmental catastrophes brought on by unbridled and unregulated capitalism and corporatism?”
– You (Nov 21): I am pleased to be included in the latest issue of .dpi – Congrats to Deanna Radford, editor of “Inevitable Transitions.” Thanks to the crew at .dpi who contributed to this issue. I am especially pleased that my short animated video, Queer Grit (2004) can be seen in its entirety here. Check it out and let me know what you think.
