murmuration
UnSmoke Systems ARTSPACE
1137 BRADDOCK AVENUE · BRADDOCK, PA 15104
AUGUST 6 - AUGUST 28, 2021
FLOCK · AUGUST 27, 6-8 pm
an evening of undetermined, spontaneous performances by members of the collective
CLOSING RECEPTION · AUGUST 28, 6-8 pm
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
MURMURATION is a group exhibition of new works by the #notwhite collective, a group of 13 femme artists who use their art to make their stories visible as they excavate histories, expose realities, and exorcise oppression.
Members of the #notwhite collective will explore and experiment with their work and how it is presented. We will not rush to meet the end goal of an opening reception, but rather, like birds building a nest, build our work throughout the month of August, one stick, one leaf at a time. This open studio process will be open to the public to share in our process.
It was passed from one bird to another,
the whole gift of the day.
The day went from flute to flute,
went dressed in vegetation,
in flights which opened a tunnel
through the wind would pass
to where birds were breaking open
the dense blue air -
and there, night came in.- excerpt Pablo Neruda
As the incubation of a simple egg, a bird’s beginning is perfection; a new voice in life is possible.
In the Spring of 2020, we sisters of the Collective began finding dead birds on the ground during our walks, during the everyday. We shared photos of these birds via text, remarking on the species, our feelings and the surrounding environment. Wondering why they lay dead beneath our feet. Wondering about the spirits of the elders and the land crying out to us beneath the concrete and stones.
Our voices are strong, beautiful songs, that call out to live, lift and fly, not to be caged, silent, or objects of curiosity pinned to a board for study. We hatch. We nest. We rise from the ashes. We sing our songs. Breathe in life. We lift our wings and fly! WE ARE LEADING BIRDS.
- Niigaanii Beneshi. Leading Bird
These conversations about birds and their meaning deepened. The proverbial "canary in the coalmine" has so many connotations - for the history of those sorts of industries, including coal in this region, the history of people of color playing guinea pig/canary roles in the history of white supremacy in the medical industry, and in workplaces (like Chinese immigrants doing most of the dangerous work in building the railroad across the country). Parallel to this is the history of using the feathers, wings, and bodies of exotic birds to decorate hats of women in the Western world during the late 19th century and men’s head-dresses in previous eras. Like birds, we as women of color have been exotified, plucked and worn. In our respective cultures, feathers are revered as symbols of trust, honor, wisdom and freedom. To don feathers is to adorn ourselves in spiritual meanings and expressions, symbolizing mystical powers and a way to communicate with the divine.
There is a right relationship, a right distance between them-too close and they crash, too far away and they can't feel the micro adaptations of the other bodies. Each creature is shifting direction, speed, and proximity based on the information of the other creatures' bodies. There is a deep trust in this...
- Edagr Villanueva, Decolonizing Wealth (p. 101-102)