Blueberry Pie Under a Martian Sky
Scott Benesiinaabandan
2016
Hosted by: AbTeC/Milieux/Concordia University
Anishnabe artist Benesiinaabandan recounts a story he was told by Cree Elder Wilfred Buck about Spider Woman. From her home at the centre of the Seven Sisters, Spider Woman wove a long thread along which the Anishinabe people travelled to Earth. Some modern interpretations of this legend say that this spider thread is a metaphor for a wormhole. Another story says that some day, a young boy will return to that place from where the Anishinabe came. Blueberry Pie Under a Martian Sky is a virtual reality (VR) artwork that will take place seven generations in the future, when human beings are able to travel through wormholes. It will follow that young boy as he journeys back to his people’s place of origin.
The background for the piece comes from the artist reflecting on the idea that the Anishnabemowin term for “blueberry pie” did not exist until relatively recently (blueberries having been around since time immemorial, but not pie). Benesiinaabandan wondered what other words will need to be created over the next seven generations to describe yet newer technologies, environments and our relations to and between them. He has also been exploring how Anishinabe stories resonate with recent scientific theories that suggest that time, rather than being like an arrow or a river, is actually more like a blanket: it can fold, and two points can even touch, connecting two points in time via wormholes.Blueberry Pie Under a Martian Sky was produced in conjunction with the Initiative for Indigenous Futures (IIF) and the 2167 project. IIF conducts research and creation aimed at encouraging Indigenous people to imagine our lives seven generations from now. 2167 is an immersive media series that commissioned Indigenous filmmakers and artists to create VR projects set 150 years in the future. These works serve as a counterpoint to the 150 years of Canadian confederation celebrations that took place throughout 2017. Scott’s residency, from April 1, 2016 to March 30, 2017, was supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.
2167 Press Release
Individual Project Press Release
Artist Contact Information
Email: chisel4@gmail.com | http://www.benesiinaabandan.com/
IIF Contact Information
Email: iif@abtec.org | Phone: 514-848-2424 ext. 5935 | https://indigenousfutures.net/
2167 is a partnership of IIF, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Pinnguaq.
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