“Traditional seed keepers in our community are individuals who’ve stepped forward and are maintaining the seeds that are from the lineage of their families,” Among the seeds Brant preserves are varieties of corn and tobacco. The cultural significance in what crops Mohawk gardeners grow, [traditionally, corn, squash and beans,] is deeply rooted in tradition and ceremony. “Try to have ceremony, a feast without feast food. Does that make any sense? No. You can’t have Kraft Dinner. There’s just certain foods you have to have.”
Terrylynn Brant, Kanien’kéha Seed Keeper
SenseLab is a place to collectively process, listen and end the performance event with participation in any form necessary with and beyond the given prompts. Our creation process has been inspired by acts of indigenous resurgence joined with collected seeds of thought from the other performance spaces. We invite you to bring the seeds you find along the way for this closing.
Matisse ApSimon-Megens, Erin Finkelstein, Kyla Gilbert-Heaney, Sarah Jarvie-Clarke, Jade Legault
The SenseLab collective investigated Indigenous healing, growing, and food preparation, as well as Indigenous resurgence, specifically two-spirited resurgence. Set in the SenseLab itself, within an installation of hanging plant containers that could be lowered and raised through a pulley system (design by Ramona Benveniste), the collective created a place to gather after the performance. Traditional teas and bannock were served, and the audiences were invited to engage with bowls of seeds, playdough, the space, and each other.
CREDITS
Performer/Co-creators: Erin Finkelstein, Kyla Gilbert-Heaney, Sara Jarvie-Clark, Jade Legault
SenseLab Liasion: Matisse ApSimon-Megens
