The Nature of Storytelling: Dynamics within the cultural interconnection through the story
(written for "Crossing Over" 2006)

 

     "We all tell our stories in a certain way, in terms of  how we talk, how we dress, how we interact with others. I do not think that it is possible to fully open oneself to the others especially from the emotional point of view. However, I believe that we can display our intentions and our internal self by ways of communicating our ideas to the world. What do I mean by that? Let me focus on the dynamics of story-telling. In the way we tell a story we inevitably open part of ourselves to the external world. If we all had to tell the same story, each one of us would focus on a certain idea or display certain aspects of the story that are not visible for the other. We can tell the story from the emotional point of view and spark an emotional response in the audience; or we can walk around within a circle and connect to the audience physically. We are able to elevate the story to its spiritual heights or illustrate it from the intellectual point of view. Whatever we filter out of the story, we actively create and re-shape it. But, the story itself gains its power from its relation to the audience. There is always an action and a reaction. Thus, when we have enough courage to open ourselves by storytelling we have to keep in mind that we are situating ourselves in the circle of re-creation. Consequently, we not only shape the story by  our own ways of storytelling but we are exposing ourselves to the external changes and need to accept that our audience shapes and transforms us by means of listening to our story and reflecting upon it. The question remains, whether we are willing to accept the mutual relationship between action and reaction. I think that it takes courage to actively expose oneself under the critical lens of the society. It take courage to accept values that change our internal self. However, I also believe that to accept our own transformation that arises from every interconnection that we make is the only way to expand our views, to broaden our horizon and to situate ourselves in the realm of universal interconnectedness."

     What is the nature of storytelling? Drawing along the lines of my previous reflection on the nature of storytelling, I would like to further illuminate characteristics within the culture of storytelling to shed light on its importance in terms of cultural interconnectedness and its generational responsibility. In our modern society, we are influenced by the written knowledge of various subjects. Even in the educational sphere, the process of a free storytelling is reduced to objective perception of cultural reality and removed from the emotional and spiritual connection to the knowledge we gain. The higher the educational level continues, the less important becomes the concept of storytelling. Looking closely at the pedagogical structures of our society, storytelling is mainly used within the frame of the children's pedagogy. But, even there the storytelling is not the mere domain of the pedagogy but is contrasted with the process of the story-reading. While the storyteller re-creates the story in the process of telling, the reading of the story is rather bound to the written script reducing the creative flexibility of the storyteller. Further, the storyteller is free in his or her ability to modify the voice, apply gestures allowing more spontaneous flow of the process which in itself creates a magical atmosphere. Consequently, storytelling becomes an expression of individual art  projecting the emotional, intellectual, spiritual and physical connection of the storyteller to the story, reflecting his or her understanding of it. Moreover, the storytelling becomes an expression of individual performance which is consequently bound to the audience. The relationship between the storyteller, as an artist, and the audience gains a theatrical quality. This means, that not only the artist tells its story waiting for the audience to become the passive receptors of the story but he or she modifies the story during the performative process by re-interpreting the reaction of the audience. Thus, it  has similarities to the characteristics of the theatre. Our understanding of the theatre has its origins in the cultural development of the performative art in Ancient Greece. The plays of Sophocles, Euripides and various other writers have set a model for the further development and transformation of the theatre. The physical setting of the half-circled Amphitheatre where the audience was positioned on the elevated level to the stage enabled the audience to gain not only a better view but also created an atmosphere of superiority and detachment between the artists, thus the storytellers and the audience. The notion of Catharsis was developed to engage the audience within the plays allowing an emotional and spiritual approach to the story when thinking int erms of the medicine wheel. The effect of Catharsis embodies the purification of emotions and spiritual renewal though the release of the tension that is incorporated in the narrative development of the play.

Amphitheatre. Epidaurus, Greece.

     While the connection between the artist and the audience occurred in the culture of Ancient Greece through Catharsis, Bertold Brecht, the German writer, redefines the function of the theatre in terms of its inter-dynamic between the two parties within the theatre. The phrase Brechtian theatre reflects his theories of the role of the theatre and is even today a standing term when discussing modes of theatre. Unlike ancient classical theatre, Brecht argues that the theatre should provoke the audience in terms of self-reflection enabling a critical view on the actions of the play rather than leaving the audience with the self-satisfied relieve and emotional purification as its is characteristic of the cathartical notion of the classical theatre. Consequently, while the Greek plays target the individual engagement of the viewer with the story, the Brechtian notion of theatre reveals the social implication of the theatre, motivating the audience to use the critical perspective of the story or the play and re-shape their own view on the reality. It is interesting to observe how the play, not only in its performative ability but also in its contextual frame is able to influence the perceptions of the audience. Does it then imply, that the power of the function and the transmitting message of the story relies within the creativity of the storyteller? How can the artist influence the perception of the audience? Any art form, in a way reflects its social and cultural world, so that the artist transfers his or her own critical views on the reality into his work of art, here the storyteller ingrains his own subjectivity into the way he or she tells the story. Further, the Brechtian theatre also transformed the physical staging of the plays. The audience faced a stage that was elevated from the level of the viewer and the half-circled amphitheatre form was reduced to a rectangular shape. The function of this setting was to disrupt a physically  superior perception of the play as in the frame of the amphitheatre but rather to move the stage and the audience closer together, reinforcing the interconnection between the audience and the artists, the storyteller. However, while the plays should offer a critical perception of the reality, the physical setting of the theatre should remind the view that he or she is witnessing a play not the actual reality. Hence, the fictional effect is here preserved through the physical space. The classical and the Brechtian version of the theatre carry interesting aspects that shed light on the performative art from different perspective. In Frankfurt, I once experienced the classical play "Antigone" by Sophocles in a Brechtian theatre setting. Combining the characteristics of both theories the play gained new dynamic. The Cathartical moment has expanded itself beyond the individual consciousness while the play became a socio-cultural critique on the contemporary reality. The individual and the social narratives have fused together creating a new definition of performative storytelling. Thinking about the concept of the storytelling, it seems to me that that fusion between the individual relationship of the storyteller to the audience (as in the classical theatre) and the social association (as in the Brechtian theatre) within the process of the storytelling is best demonstrated in the Aboriginal culture. The way of how they incorporate the storytelling within their culture on all levels of social interactions displays a new perception of performative storytelling. Situating the storyteller within the circle which is shaped by the audience creates a new way of interconnection between the the artist and the audience. The concept of the circle is unmistakeably connected with the medicine wheel which represents the four aspects of human nature, the emotional, spiritual, intellectual and the physical. The circle, thus becomes an expansion of the human nature emphasizing its connection to the nature itself. Unlike the amphitheatrical and the Brechtian stage, the circle enhances the performative freedom of the storyteller by enabling a physical connection between the audience and the artist, here the storyteller. This aspect is very significant in the culture of First Nations. The artist or the storyteller disrupts the individual sphere stepping outside of this space and connecting to the external world. This gesture unmistakably implies and cultural interconnectedness that reaches beyond the individual perception.
Interestingly, in the culture of First Nations the main storytellers were the Elders of the community whose stories were transferred to the younger generations thought he oral tradition. Here, the storytelling is connected with wisdom and is the medium of inter-generational connection which nourishes the source of social implication associated with the process of the storytelling in terms of its performative aspect. As a culture that is mainly based on the oral tradition, First Nations have developed the theory and practice of storytelling in a unique way combining the spirit of the generations within the medium of the story which becomes the witness of a social transformation throughout generations. The story, is undergoing a circle of birth and re-birth that is not only  shaped in the form of the circle but also in the story itself since the various storytellers have added their own perception and individuality to the story. Thus, the story told today carries a timeless culture of its ancestors at the same time finding new resonance in the audience as the perceiving generation. The circle elevates itself from the physical shape and connects generations though the spiritual experience of the timelessness.

 

     The inter-generational connection, characteristic to the culture of storytelling within the First Nations exists beside the notion of intimacy in the storytelling. This perspective originates from the idea that since the story is modified by the creative imagination of every storyteller, a certain intimacy is re-shaped between the storyteller and the story. This intimacy can be seen in the context of the ceremonial performance. The process of absorbing of the story, the transformation of the story within oneself and the final expression of the story in the creative action of storytelling displays the ceremonial tradition. The story and the storyteller undergo a process of growth which fuses them together in their mutual intimacy. However, this intimacy is disrupted when the story is told then it becomes in a way the property of the listeners who then are free to shape the story according to their own individual perceptions of the reality. The listener becomes the new modifier or the new storyteller who will undergo the process of growth developing a mutual intimacy and emotional connection to the story. However, something of the story remains in the storyteller after the story is told, the memory of the cultural growth. The storyteller becomes the chain within the oral tradition that is carried through generations.
     The nature of storytelling is complex domain that can be considered as an artistic work interweaving a dynamic between the storyteller, the audience and the story itself. While the artist reshapes his or her individual identity though story, he/she creates unconsciously a social identity though the storytelling. As an artist of a given culture, the storyteller situates himself within the performative frame since the process of storytelling requires a personal dynamic and the ability to communicate with the audience. Be it within the frame of the Western perception of the performative art or the inter-generational connectedness in the process of storytelling in the First Nation culture, storytelling reflects in a way our own nature. We tell stories from different points of view emerging from various motivations but by telling a story on the conscious level, we tell unconsciously our own stories by displaying ourselves to the critical eye of the social culture. Fusing all aspects of the storytelling, we become our own stories in relation of the story we tell.

Emily Carr: Canadian Heritage or Cultural Misappropriation

(written for "Crossing Over" 2006)

Emily Carr in her studio. 1936.

      Emily Carr is a controversial artists since her artistic image and her works pivot between the poles of cultural heritage and cultural misappropriation. While on the one hand she is considered to be a Canadian icon, her works depicting Fist Nation culture seem to disrupt the fine line between the cultural representation and its appropriation. In order to reconcile this duality, we have to consider Carr's work within the time of colonialization when Native People were forcefully missionarized, their culture taken from them and their people were put on the lower social level. Contemporary scholars have reopened a discussion about her work and her artistic position within our society. Voices like Marcia Crosby and Douglas Cole offer interesting interpretations of Carr's work. While Crosby sets the artist within the frame of "salvage paradigm", Cole offers a counter-argument to the accusation that Carr's works display an imaginary Indian but that they are rather authentic. The question of authentisism, thus is contrasted with the imaginary re-construction of a "dying" culture, here the Native culture. These two perspectives on this binaries, consequently nourish the the perception of Carr's work as a heritage or as a result of cultural misappropriation. this essay tries to give an account for both interpretations of Emily Carr's work illuminating her current position within the artistic stage. I argue that Carr's art cannot be discarded as a product of cultural appropriation since it has to be considered within the time frame of colonialization and is rather a revolutionary work.

      According the the biography of Emily Carr written by Cat Clerks, Carr was for her time an unconventional individual in terms of her life style as well as her artistic development. Being born in Victoria in 1987, she was brought up appreciating the English style and culture. The society around her displayed strong conformity and and love for the tradition. Art was then considered as a hobby and not as a way of life. So, did Carr's quest of the nature of art lead her to England where she unfortunately did not achieve much success realizing that in England art appeared under more conservative light than in her hometown. During her time in the Westminster Art School in London she rejected to draw from the "lifeless statuary" worshipping the past. Her visionary and creative notion of art detached her from the tradition of art as a medium of recreating the past. Carr was not interested in the history of art but her motivation to continue her education in art carried progressive roots focusing on the contemporary time rather than creating art that was representative for the the " world mummified"  within the walls of the British museum. Considering her education in England as a failure, she returned to Canada in 1904. Her artistic education further continued in France, in the Academie Colarossi in Paris. The unorthodox use of colour in paintings, typical for the Bohemian style, has inspired her to develop her imagination giving her the freedom to create her own style. Being influenced by the French Impressionism, her art has gained its own dynamic. Her work has found resonance in the words of Gibbs, one of her teachers, noting that Carr was on her way to become the "foremost artist of her time".  In France, her works have been displayed next to the avant-garde elite painters of her time. Her time in France was an artistic success. Returning to Vancouver, she continued to develop her art. However, her works were criticized by the society as childish, bizarre and even threatening. Being rejected as an artist from her local society, she in a way isolated herself from the public life. In 1927, she was invited to display her works in the National Gallery of Canada within the exhibition of Canadian West Coast Art. During that time she encountered the work of the Group of Seven that focused its art on the Canadian landscape images emphasizing its "emptiness and vastness of the terrain" (Moray 2). The impressionistic style of the Group of Seven   has found its echo in the style of Carr's work.

Harris, Lawren. Algoma Reflections

 Her connection to Lawren Harris was valuable to her in terms of her artistic expressionism in the public sphere. However, her connection to the group of Seven is controversial considering Carr's work within the frame of the of Aboriginal culture. Her paintings of the Fist Nation villages and various aspects of their culture stand in the contrast to the developments of the art by the Group of Seven. As Jonathan Bordo points out the landscape motives of their art has eliminated all "traces of Aboriginal presence". Consequently, it is not surprising that Carr's later depictions of the Totem poles within the "vastness" of the landscape  disrupt her connection to the artistic ideas of the Group of Seven.
Carr has encountered Native people during her childhood, however her first artistic encounter has been initiated by her visit to the village of Ucluelet, on the West coast of Vancouver Island. She was inspired by the beauty of the villages within the majestic setting of the rain forest. The devastating condition of the people in those villages and at the same time her witnessing of the cultural exploitation of the Aboriginal Culture as the Totem Poles were taken away from their natural setting and transferred in to the frozen walls of the museum, made her to come to the realization that the First Nation culture is going to disappear within the time. Many scholars argue that her decision to depict Aboriginal art works emerged from the idea to preserve the culture of "dying people" (Crosby 274), however the amount of work that Carr has put into her art is a witness of more than a archaeological recording of a culture. As an artist she has travelled by foot, by train, by boat to reach the villages as remote as in Alaska. It is a historical fact that the Northwest Coast population have declined by 80 percent (Cole 150) and that most Aboriginal villages have been abandoned leaving their art works as witnesses of their culture and history. Within this frame, Carr's work carries the notion of preserving Aboriginal culture, however, the style and creativity of her paintings reject to be an objective scientific record of artifices but gain their own spirit reviving  Aboriginal culture. For Carr, the Aboriginal culture was not a mere folk art but displayed a mastery of craftsmanship which managed to capture the complexity of the stories of native culture. Thus, Carr's approach towards the aboriginal art illuminates her attempt to understand its function and its position within the culture rather than to create a photographic memory of the object.

Carr, Emily.Totem Poles, Kitseukla, 1912

     Carr's early knowledge about the Natives originates from the literature creating an idealized image of the "noble savage". Contrasting Carr's paintings with this notion then it becomes obvious that Carr has disrupted this image not only offering an authentic depiction of the First Nation culture in her art expanding her perception in her book Klee Wyck.

Within the literary frame she describes her experiences while encountering Aboriginal people revealing her understanding of their culture nourished by the connection to the people. Here, she tries to display her understanding of the connection of the Native people with their art. Her inspiration for the Totem poles finds its echo in her observations of their interconnection between the artist and the art object, "he grafted this new language on to the great cedar trunks and called them totem poles and stuck them up in the villages with great ceremony. Then the cedar and the creatures and the man all talked together through the totem poles to the people" (Carr 51). The mutual interconnectedness becomes a guide fro Carr who tries to preserve and deepen this understanding in her paintings.Witnessing their way of life, their difficulties as well as their festive days during the potlatches, experiencing the significance of the cultural values deconstruct Carr's perception as an artist within the frame of "salvage paradigm". The more she immersed herself into the Aboriginal culture the more she understood the spirit of their culture which becomes alive in her pictures. During her lifetime, Carr made many trips to the native villages, creating hundreds of sketches not only of Totem poles but also of other Aboriginal art motives representing the mythical face of this culture. So is the painting of Dsonoqua, a wild woman of the forest standing as guard. Her eagle shaped breasts, extended arms and open mouth create a mythical figure that was considered to have a cannibal spirit.

Carr, Emily. DSonoqua.
                                            

     Carr's interest in mythical figures of Aboriginal culture further reinforces her artistic function removing her from the scene of objective reporting of a culture. While today, her Aboriginal motive are considered to fit into the frame of cultural appropriation, for Carr's contemporary time, her work remains a revolutionary step towards the inter-cultural connection between the Aboriginal and Western cultures.
     Scholars, like Marcia Crosby, however do not remove Carr from the notion of "salvage paradigm". In her essay "Construction of the Imaginary Indian" she discusses the

in-authenticity of the image of the Indian in the works of various artists including Emily Carr. She sets her argument in the frame of post-modernism as a cultural movement towards "embracing of difference". The interest in the First Nation culture has become manifest in form of "dominating or colonizing" approach by the Western civilization (Crosby 267). Crosby further argues that the Western interest has become a "self-interest" expanding its borders within the notion of "salvage paradigm". Salvage paradigm was a phenomenon that has lead museums and anthropologists to collect "remnants" and art works of a disappearing culture. Crosby takes a critical perspective on this movement asserting that those who were involved in the action of  saving a dying culture, made the decision about what is going to be saved, choosing fragments of a culture they are "salvaging". Consequently, as Crosby goes on, they become the owners of the given culture and the interpreters of their art. The "external interest" in First Nation culture and the movement of salvaging their culture accounts for the re-interpretation of Aboriginal art producing "work that that has to do with the observers" own values" (Crosby 270).
Interpreting Carr's paintings of Totem poles and villages, she claims that the "authenticity... is invisible in Carr's works" (276) displaying an image of an Aboriginal culture that is imagined to have existed in the past rather than focusing on the reality. Crosby reminds us that the Totem poles and other Aboriginal works of art being a "material culture..., were created by and belong to the First Nations peoples" (Crosby 276). Carr's depiction of this "material culture" consequently positions her work within the "salvage paradigm".

     According to Crosby, Carr's role as an artist is not justified since she becomes one of the "owners" of the Aboriginal culture in her attempt to "save a diminishing culture" (Crosby 274). This notion nourishes the contemporary perception of Carr's work as a art of cultural misappropriation which fins its echo in contemporary Native artists like Rose Spahan. in her painting "Tea with Emily Carr"  she situates Carr within the frame of a British tea ceremony that takes place in the company of Aboriginal mythical figures such as the Raven, the Salmon and a Native mask. Being the only human being she seems to be misplaced in this setting which is contrasted by the very setting of a typical British tea ceremony, imposing a foreign culture which displaces the Aboriginal figures out of the frame. The cultural misunderstanding becomes obvious in this painting since the language of understanding seems to be distorted as well. All characters become de-framed and disrupt the atmosphere. Rose Spahan, thus creates a visual understanding the notion of cultural misappropriation. This perception sheds a negative light on Carr's work implying colonialization through art.
     In contrast to this argument, Cole offers a different perspective on Carr's work setting her within her time. He argues that the notion of the "vanishing Indian" (Cole 151) was not an illusion. Referring to the population decline within the First Nations, which has reached a low point in 1915 within the Haida people, Cole asserts that the salvage paradigm carried a tendency to consider any artistic development within this frame. The decline of the Indian population has consequently affected the practicing of their culture even  "... some [Aboriginal languages] had disappeared". (Cole 150). Although Carr's work has been created during the time of Aboriginal population decline, her motive reach beyond the notion of "salvaging". With an "artful eye of an observer" (Cole 152), Carr encounters the Aboriginal people acknowledging the reality within which they live. Cole draws attention on Carr's book Klee Wyck, illuminating her compassion towards the Aboriginal people. The characters of  Jimmie and Louisa and Sophie are more than a personifications of the "vanishing or imaginary Indian" but are people who try to understand their own time positioning themselves within the tradition and the modern transitions. "Klee Wyck is a testament to an outsider's perception of the transition in Northwest Coast Aboriginal life during Carr's life time" (Cole 157). Not only her literary work but also her paintings  become a witness of a culture that was experiencing in a way radical transformation within the frame of cultural colonialization.

      Considering Carr within the cultural frame, she  can be regarded as pioneer whose work remains a witness of cultural interconnectedness. It is natural that the works of an artist gain new interpretations during the time. So that Carr's art pivots today between the path of cultural heritage or being a fragment of cultural mis-appropriation. Which perspective we choose, depends from the angle we consider it. Looking though the contemporary cultural lens, it is one dimensional to regard Carr's work merely as a archaeological record of the Native culture within the frame of the "salvage paradigm", within the notion of saving a dying culture. Her paintings display more than an objective perception of an archaeologist or a photographer. Carr's paintings can be considered as revolutionary for her time and within her culture when the Aboriginal people did not have the same status in the society as the "white man". Her attempt to understand Native art and culture are witnesses of a visionary artist who was ahead of her time. The paintings of the Totem poles display an expressive strength of an artist who went beyond the drawn borders of her society. While immersing in her paintings, one has the feeling that the Aboriginal art becomes revived, gaining its own spiritual and cultural dynamic reminding us of the cultural interconnection not only on the individual, artistic level but also on the social level. Thus, her paintings become timeless witnesses of a culture in the circle of birth and re-birth.

Works Cited

Art in Transformation: Native Art in the Postmodern Frame

(written for "Crossing Over" 2006)

      Art is commonly considered as an expression of human creativity which gains its shape from the transformative realm of human imagination. Various artists, philosophers and scholars have offered definitions of what is art. The quest of the nature of art moves further to shed light on the question of which forms of creativity can be considered as art. Beside the definition of art as an expression of creativity and the perception of art in the context of its forms, a  third category emerges which focuses on art as a medium of personal expression on the individual and on the social level. Consequently, the individual and social perceptions of art have nourished various artistic epochs throughout the generations. Cultural periods such as the Renaissance, Classicism, Romanticism, Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, Modernism and Post-modernism become witnesses of artistic creativity. In order to understand art, however it is necessary to situate art within its social, historical and cultural time frame. Thus, art is not only the emotional, intellectual and spiritual expression of the individual artist whose artistic creation gains its physical shape in his work but art is also the realm of the expression of the social and cultural issues. It becomes an absorbing and reflecting  reality of the individual and cultural perceptions. While the origin of art as a tradition is assumed to lie in the ancient Greek, various existing cultures become witnesses of art that lies far beyond the time of our imagination carrying the roots of its cultural heritage. Beyond being a cultural tradition, art is also connected to a certain story within its time. The works of art are able to display a story within its contextual frame, moreover, the way an artist externalises the forms of his or her individual creativity, becomes a story itself. The process of shaping artistic creativity displays a story. Focusing on the dynamic between the role of the artist within the cultural and social context that is, the relationship between the artist and the viewer, it is interesting to consider the transformation of this relationship in the contemporary time of postmodernism contrasting its values with the notion of "art for art's sake" which emphasizes the artist's focus on the beauty of art rather than its meaning. The culture of postmodernism has shaped not only the definition of the nature of art but also has changed our perceptions and expectations of art. Thus, works of art have experienced a transformation within the frame of postmodernism in terms of their significance as medium of storytelling. Drawing on the role of art in the context of postmodernism, this essay focuses on the nature of art and its function as a storyteller not only on the socio-cultural level but also on the stage of individual storytelling of an artist.

      In his essay "Postmodernism: anomaly in Art-Critical Theory" Holt K. David offers an insight into the role of art within the frame of postmodernism arguing that its rejection of the aestheticism in art carries the risk of "ignoring much of art, even great art" ( Holt 92). Postmodernism is a general word for a trend in the arts that succeeded Modernism in early 1960s with the emergence of the Pop Art movement. While Modernism focused on  "art for art's sake", Postmodernism is thought to be anti-aesthetic neglecting "life's spiritual and transcendent aspects" (Holt 85). The rejection of aestheticism in art as well as its transcendental value creates art that is primarily about the meaning in the frame of transmitting political, literal and materialistic meaning.  This aspects created counter-connection to the exhibition "Raven Traveling" in Vancouver Art Gallery, presenting two centuries of Haida art. The Native art works, being mostly objects  intended for practical use, became transmitters of spirituality and transcendental spirit in the frame of generational creativity. It was interesting to learn, that Haida language does not have a specific word for art since the objects were part of their daily life within the process of a ritual or a ceremony. The elaborate works of weavery and sculpture displayed a tradition within the Haida culture that carried a cultural heritage. Consequently, they not only represent the aesthetic mastery of the artist but also are full of meaning within the frame of their own stories. The following works present the story within the art. The masterly woven hat carries depictions of mythical figures such as the Raven further elaborated with various figures shaping the form-line of the structures. This technique is also seen in the next work resenting the raven mask by Charles Edenshaw. Although it was made for trade its form remains a model for further generations of Native artists.

                                                                                                        Isabella Edenshaw

                                                                                               Charles Edenshaw
                                                  

  The use of a specific material, the motive as a cultural pre-existing model and the significance of it within the Native society capture many aspects of Postmodernism, however contrasting it with the embracing of spirituality and transcendence. The mythical figures that the Native artist use within their creations become witnesses of their spiritual meaning. Further, contra to the postmodernism, the art works themselves do not display a political message but gain social and political meaning when considered within the Western cultural tradition, thus, its massage gains voice within the social frame. But how does the artist position himself or herself towards the society? As Hole argues, postmodern art creates a dialogue between itself and the society. However, the artist becomes an objective observer rather than an artist within the social mainstream, transforming into a social critic or a "rebel".  Hole continues on the path of the nature of the artists arguing that the notion of the artist as a rebel is originated in the period of Romanticism when the artist has isolated himself or herself from the society in their quest to find the perfect beauty. Hence, this notion has been carried further in the contemporary time of Postmodernism, "to remain true to their aesthetic vision, artists must consciously separate themselves from the society to become impassive, stoical, detached observers" ( Holt 87). This is a strong contrast to the native artist who is the carrier of the generational creativity creating art as a cultural heritage. During the exhibition it was interesting to learnt that the Haida language does not have a specific word for art since it is integrated within the rituals and ceremonies becoming part of their daily life. Consequently, the artist is not the "objective observer" but transforms the interconnectedness with his culture and his people into the work of art which in a way becomes the artistic mirror of the reflection and perception of his  Native culture. The nature of the artist as carrier of the cultural heritage has been displayed during the exhibition. The contemporary works of art has been situated beside the previous art works from the nineteenth century emphasizing the continuation of generational spirit within the culture of First Nations, here the Haida culture. The story, that those objects tell are unmistakably connected within the chain of the generation becoming the motivation for developing Native art. The aspect of generational interconnectedness has its counterparts in the trend of Postmodernism. Hole provides the reader with further characteristics of postmodernism such as the fact that the artist is not the creator of an original work but arranges his work within the preexisting images. The work gains its own dynamic in term of reaching beyond the aesthetic representation of the environment. Instead the artist uses the previous models to modify the work of art adding or removing fragments in accordance of the message he or she is apt to transmit. The seemingly parallel notions of the artist as a re-creator of the pre-existing art, the inter-generational re-creation of the Native artist varies from the postmodern artist in terms of its cultural background. Native art gains a new voice within our society and within the postmodern frame of contemporary art, it becomes the reflecting and absorbing lens of the artist and the viewer. The way, Native Artists shape their culture turns into a socio-cultural dialogue within our society.

     But, what stories do they tell and what is the basis for this dialogue? Hole argues, that art as "primarily a form of political rhetoric is unique to Postmodernism" (Hole 88). Looking at the art within the Postmodernism, it is obvious that art reflects the social, political and cultural transformations of a given society. However, not only the message is important that the artist tries to convey but also the way we interpret his or her works. Consequently, the nature of art's meaning changes within different social and political periods as well as within the various cultures. Art can become a symbol for a given culture. So is the artistic interpretation of the Native art focused on the development of the formline within the work itself. The way the artist creates the formline illuminates his or her own cultural background and connection to a specific Native culture. The political message gains here a new perspective echoing the heritage of a nation. In contrast, the viewer, being an outsider to the given culture shapes his or her own interpretations according to the knowledge of this culture and to the individual background.  Thus, whether art is considered as an instructive medium or it just focuses on the aesthetic of its form as "art for art's sake" depends not only on the artist but also on the perceiver of the art, the audience. The stories that the artist creates within his work gains a new shape in the mind of the observer. For instance, most of the Native art works display its connection with the nature. The forms reflect the nature in its beauty and complexity. As in the Renaissance,  artists believed that art should be the perfect mirror of nature, the Native artists not only use nature as the source for their work but also try to convey a meaning in the art forms by creating new structures and artistic rules which shape the nature from their own perspective. Native art, thus tells a story of a nature from its on cultural perspective shaping the socio-cultural dialogue. The postmodernist notion of an artist modifies in a way the definition of the artist as a storyteller. In contrast to the Modernist descroption of art as "art for art's sake" that apoliticises art reducing it to the interpretation of the formalism and the pure aestheticism, Postmodernist art tells its own story, the story of its culture in an creative way involving itself in the social, political and cultural developments and transformations of the society. Considering Native art within this background, it the modern perception of Aboriginal art re-opens the doors towards a culture that became silent during the centuries of colonialization. Indigenous art not only tells individual stories but also displays art claiming its own cultural heritage back reshaping at the same time the artistic face of the culture. The political rhetoric emerges here from the juxtaposition of the Native art to the Western postmodern art as a rebirth of a socio-cultural heritage. Further, the dialogue becomes a storytelling. While Postmodernism rejects the values of art as seen during the Modernism period, in the Native art reflects the modernist focus on the  aestheticism in art as well as the quest for the perfect form as an expression of nature  and fuses with the postmodernist definition of art as a medium for moral and instructive domain. While the beauty of the Native works, such as it is  displayed in the artistic mastery in weavery, carpentry and sculpturing, creating figures like the Totem poles, masks or other objects, becomes eminent to every viewer, the objects need to be considered within the frame of its cultural stories and social context of the Native culture.

     The contrasts and similarities between the Native art and the postmodernist notion of the nature of art display a dynamic interaction between the various perceptions within a given culture.The Native art enters the artistic stage as a witness of a culture, telling a story of an individual and social interconnection between the artist and his or her work. Being a subjective observer of his/her culture, the Aboriginal artist displays art under the light of a "political rhetoric" becoming a story of the cultural history and its heritage. As for the audience, to perceive the transmitted message, it is important to develop our understanding of the given culture reaching beyond the borders of artistic exhibition and objective interpretations of art. Only the ability of re-capturing the story in its true form justifies the artist as a storyteller giving him space for the creative expression of his imagination.

Works cited

Holt, David K.. "Postmodernism: Anomaly in Art-Critical Theory." Journal of Aesthetic Education. (Spring 1995) 29. pp. 85-93.

Learning Though Encounters!

 (written for "Crossing Over" 2006)

     As we know, the word   “encounter” is associated with the word “meeting”. Thus, it is inevitably connected with the idea of being an active process. This definition made me reflect upon the nature of our project called Encounters .Considering the fact that the telling of our encounter stories was free of any previous attempt to create a written record it seems to me that the purpose of this project is the innate nature of the word “encounter” itself.

     “….your story seems not to vary much from my own but I guess the difference lies in the way of telling the story as much as it is connected with your own perception of the actual encounter,” said the fourth Traveler. “Let me reveal my story of my encounter to all of you…” she continued. “My first indirect contact with the First Nations occurred in the Vancouver Airport. Still in the airplane, I fancied different images of the country, the city, the people, Canadians… Who are those people? I remembered a picture in my travel guide depicting Native people in a canoe. Were they the Canadians I was imagining?” 

 

                                                                                Haida Gwaii by Bill Reid  

                         

 “Can you answer this question now?” asked the first Traveler.

“I still don’t know, the question of identity vanishes behind the veil of multiculturalism. But let me proceed with my story. Having my images in my mind I was keen to see an Aboriginal in the crowd at the Airport. So, gazing through the masses, suddenly, I captured a glimpse of an object. It was big and dominant, standing in the middle of the hall in its solemnity. It seemed to me so detached from its origin which was hidden to me. The tag said: Spirit of Haida Gwaii by Bill Reid, a monument depicting human and different animals in a canoe. I was looking at this sculpture and felt isolated. I could not connect it with any other form of art that I was aware of. What is the story behind this figure? And moreover, the longer I looked at it the more a feeling of sadness overcame me. Its greatness and beauty implied that I was experiencing a remnant of a culture that is not alive or is diminished to a degree that huge monuments are necessary to remind the society of its existence.”

“I am afraid your observations at the Airport are very close to reality,” interrupted the third Traveler. “But please, don’t mind my pessimism, continue with your story.”

“Months went by and I adjusted myself to the new environment I came to learn more about. One day, my friends invited me on a journey to Tofino. The road to the village was stunning and marvelous so that I immersed myself in the beauty of the nature. It was imminent and gigantic; the majestic and solemn mountains lead us to the beauty and glory of its heart. On our way, I thought: the people living in Tofino must be living in Paradise.”

“There live many First Nation people,” said the second Traveler.

                                                                                    Tofino, April 2005                                  

     “Sad images, within the tranquility of the nature there live people that seemed to me were desperate and some of them spend the most time of their day with drinking. What happened to them? I asked myself…. The next day we rented a Zodiac to explore the islands near Tofino. I was happy to learn that our guide was an Aboriginal.  After he showed us the beauties of the islands, he pointed to a spot in the distance and said; “there, do you see that village? It is my village, my whole family lives there.” Hearing him say this I imagined how he came home every day after work and how his children and his family was greeting him. He must be a happy man, I thought. Living in peace, being connected to nature and enjoying the presence and the love of the family and friends seemed to me to be the only right way to live. But somehow, that sadness overcomes me again while I was looking at the village. Amidst the beauty of the nature this village and the people seemed to me so isolated. I recalled how isolated I felt myself while standing in front of the sculpture by Bill Reid at the Airport and now, how detached from the buzz of the world seemed their life and culture to be. But it must be something that connects worlds, cultures, and people. It is art.”

     “Talking of art, have you been to the exhibition RavenTraveling?”  the first Traveler intervenes, “I thought, it was quite amazing.”

“Oh, yes, the exhibition. I agree with you, it was very impressive. Finally, I had the chance to experience the First Nation art within the frames of an exhibition; enjoying art for arts sake, detached from its social and cultural decorations. But, then ….” The forth traveler stopped for a moment, immersing herself in silence as if she wanted to experience her emotions again. “But then, while I was looking at the objects, I realized that the Aboriginal culture and art cannot be understood without its social and cultural context. Now, thinking about the Bill Reid sculpture and our guide in Tofino I realize that the social story of the sculpture completes cultural background of our Aboriginal guide. And suddenly; I understood the source of my feeling of isolation while looking at the First Nation Art. I did not know the stories behind the objects and thus, was not able to immerse in the secrets of their culture. To understand First Nation culture one has to understand the art of the culture since it is inevitably connected to the origin of its people. It was there when I felt how the sculpture that I first saw at the Airport connected itself with its origin and so closed the circle.” Here the forth Traveler ended her story and there was silence until the third Traveler broke the silence with his Encounter story.

What do we make of the stories we tell? And moreover, what do we make of the stories we listen to? Can stories change our believes and teach us new ways of thinking?

     Stories remain a powerful tool to pass ideas from one person to another, from one generation to another. They open a new way of learning and building social relationships. Being anything else but one-dimensional, the art of storytelling offers a way of communication on the interactive stage. Reflecting on this aspect, it is important to notice the roles of the story, the storyteller and the listeners. The method of storytelling within a group remains multifaceted in terms of the identity of each storyteller which is closely connected to the way the story is told. While reading a written story, it cannot be reshaped but only recited remaining unchanged throughout generations. As the Western history shows, some stories become even doctrines. In contrast, every story that is told but not written remains prevalent since the storyteller affects it by his or hers subjectivity.  
Moreover, while telling our Encounter stories to each other, I noticed how each story entered our mind by reshaping itself in this process. The stories themselves voluntarily seemed to weave into each other, came alive and gained their own identity.  But while the storyteller remains subjective, what is the role of the listeners? Having their own cultural background they certainly are independent  of objective perception of the story. However, they are not only able to identify believes of the storyteller but also to reshape the story according to their own believes and backgrounds. Thus, the process of learning becomes a mutual one which also enables the cultivation of social contacts. We learn from the telling of our stories and listening to the others’ not in a mode of individual monologues but in a group discussion. There is no right or wrong because the subjectivity of the story or the individuality of the storyteller and the listener do not hinder each other but complete one another, nourishing and enriching our own knowledge while offering new perspectives.  Reflecting back on our stories, it is not only important to recognize the value of their contents but also of the process of how each one of us was able to put a first step into a culture that is foreign to us through  a story.

Redefining Myself!

(written for "Crossing Over" 2006)

 Marvelling at the nature. Canada, Rogers Pass 2006.
 

     My home is the world. Being born in Armenia, raised in Russia and Germany and now I living in Canada, the question about my origin seems difficult to answer. So, how do I conceive myself? I wonder, whether it will be possible to reflect upon myself and my nature without considering the social and cultural environment I live in. It seems to me that those social and cultural factors define and transform our internal nature. So, I do see my life as part of my environment. I was born in Armenia, one of the most ancient countries of the world and the first Christian nation. However, being born in a time when Armenia was still part of the Soviet Union, religion lost its importance in Armenian society. Do I consider myself as a Christian? Yes and no. I believe in God but I do not accept the religious institutions. Thus, my definition of God is not attached to the common notion and depictions of God. I would rather imagine God as a spirit or driving force, something that remains within us and is not projected outward.

                                          Marvelling at Frankfurt. Germany, Maintower, 2000.

     The question of how to perceive my relation with the world became more and more complicated to answer when I moved to Germany with my parents. I was quite excited to learn how different their culture was from mine and within which social frames was their society operating. To live and to learn in this new country this with its own culture seemed to me like an adventure that I was ready to undertake. So, I did. I studied medicine in Germany and enjoyed to learn more about human body and its nature. In the early years of my medical education I took an introductory course in Chinese medicine. My initial skepticism towards eastern medicine faded when I learned that this type of healing was still practiced today producing remarkable results.  Having been confronted with such a deep knowledge that existed for thousands of years influenced my notion of western medicine and knowledge in terms of its idealized nature. Which is the best way, what type of medicine works the best? There is no definite answer to that. I believe that the combination of both makes the difference. Thus, my interest in medicine grew deeper and deeper. 
 

    But what I find as most remarkable is the cultural diversity that I encountered in Vancouver. Reflecting again upon my own social experiences and encounters I realized that my own cultural diversity would find a new dimension. Once again I immersed myself into the journey of rediscovering myself within this new society. So, what are my ideas about art, nature, culture and so on? Moreover, how are the traditional ideas of art and culture to be interpreted in the Canadian society? The answer lay in the nature.  I was fascinated with the beauty of the nature in British Columbia. The majestic mountains, smoothing sounds of the ocean, marvellous sunsets and ancient forests that keep their secrets within their old roots made an unforgettable impression on me. A new idea of art, the art of the nature revealed itself to me in its fertility and beauty. Hence, I thought that when nature and art seem to be so connected with each other then the Canadian culture might as well be connected with the nature. However, this fusion between nature and culture was best depicted in the native art. Functionality in art clashed with my notion of art as art for arts sake. Once again, my journey seems to take another path leading through a diverse country such as Canada.

 Spiritual Connection to Art

(written for "Crossing Over" 2006)

     Looking back on my travels, I realize that they were driven by my quest for understanding art.

While in Strasbourg, I was amazed by the arcitecture and the overwhelming dominance of art in that city.

     Strasbourg is a border town right at the Franco-German border. Its history goes back to the Roman times, when they established a military outpost making Strasbourg part of the Roman provinces. The history of Strasbourg is very dynamic. As the "capital" of the Alsace region, it was successively either French or German. Nowadays, it is of course a French town. The architecture of the city, being a mixture between typical French Gothic style and the German Fachwerkhaus type, displays the aspects of the given dominating culture throughout the history. However, the clash of art and cultures enabled the city to create its own culture connecting those two influences.

The building in Strasbourg that impressed me the most was the Strasbourger Muenster which was completed in 1439. Its classical Gothic architecture combines religious and political stories of the history of the city in form of miniature statues and reaches a height of 142 meters. Walking inside of this church, I was overwhelmed with the vertical space that let me feel the glory and the power of the spiritual culture. It somehow creates an atmosphere of isolation and tranquility. I felt removed from the worldly realm of reality, and transferred into a world that enables a self-reflection in a calm and quiet atmosphere. It seemed to me that I was undergoing some ceremonial process. Walking through the Muenster, taking time to rest within this enormous church and to immerse within myself, shaped an internal transformation. The transformational aspect is, I think, the main purpose of a ceremony; and here, in this church, I felt the spiritual power of transformation.

The Strassbourg Muenster also features an astronomical clock, which dating back to 1843,is a scientific masterpiece for its time. From the positions of the sun and the moon the time was determined. The astronomical clock positioned within the Muenster is an attempt to connect the spiritual and the worldly realms. It is this clock that reminds one of the transience of life and reality. It descends one from the heights of universal spirituality and faces with the outside world and the actual life. The clash of cultures is here transformed into the clash between the spiritual and the reality. This fusion was enabled by art and at the same time art became a medium for cultural transposition, pivoting itself between the tranquility and transience. The Muenster and the clock, within art, thus, are telling a story. Moreover, they engage the viewer into their story creating a mutual connection not only between the art and the viewer but also within oneself. Consequently, art gains a new perspective, trying to mediate an understanding of its creation and perception by the viewer.

     Having come to the realization that art is a medium of communication, I started to search for other, hidden stories of art while traveling to different cities. Interestingly, the Dom (church) in Frankfurt had a similar story to tell in terms of, excluding the world from the walls of the church, enabling one to immerse oneself within individual reality. However, Frankfurt, unlike Strasbourg is not a border city, so that the city becomes an exhibition of German culture removing itself from the strong dynamic of the Franco-German culture clash as in Strasbourg. Nevertheless, the function of the church as a spiritual escapist art work is not much different from the Strasbourg Muenster. The Gothic style of the church lets one to become a witness of the common cultural and architectural style throughout Europe during 15-17th centuries. Further, the interior vertical space also creates an atmosphere of overwhelming glory and power of the spiritual aspect of our life. The similar architectural style and the parallel atmospheres of isolation and transformation that both churches create lead me to the observation that art has the ability to cross borders.

     While Strasbourg's culture and art style was rather imposed by a dominating nation, be it the French or the German, the cultural art of the Frankfurter Dom displays aspects of cultural exchange. So, the example of the Frankfurter dom shows how art becomes a transformative medium of cultural exchange and thus, universal. Art enables cultures to cross borders and connect to each other. It is interesting to note how art has crossed borders without being a culture that is imposed by a dominating nation as in Strasbourg. Thinking back about the introduction of the medicine wheel during our course, it became obvious for me that the connection to art can be created from the various points of view. Thus, on my journey to question art and to learn from its cultural influence, I connected to art from the spiritual perspective, establishing a physical and emotional connection and drawing intellectual conclusions from my observations. The universality of art then rotates itself within the medicine wheel inviting all of us to participate in its understanding through the four aspects of the human nature, the spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual.