Eyes and Ear(ring)s

The students in the Inuit Law and Film (Legal Theory Workshop) class once again produced a really rich variety of final projects. I was warned by one member of the class (Brittany Goud) that her proposed project would require my active participation.  I agreed that I would be willing to give it (whatever it was...she was closed-mouthed about it).

laying out the materials

I have now participated!  I also took a few photos along the way to capture the 'installation/participation art' nature of it. 

What Brittany had delivered to my office was a lovely pink box with instructions on the front (to go to a webpage and start watching before opening the box). I cheated and opened the box first, but I still could not figure out what would be required from a visual glance at the box or contents alone.

half way there!

So.... the website is here:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQkfPVWXs0Q  

If you go there, you will see a kind of DIY/How-To video for beading an earring.  The box contained all the material I would need to make a giant earring (made out of foam tubing, covered by colourful duct tape.

As per the visual instructions (no words, only sound is the soundtrack from Nanook of the North), I laid out the material and began working...

...what it should end up looking like....

Success!  I did it!

I gotta say, it has been MANY years since I was a serious beader (I am now referring to my pre-teen and teen years at the Shuswap, where I spent the summers beading rings and necklaces), and I was a bit panicked about it.... would I be able to follow the video (particular since she use NO WORDS...)? 

It was great fun. 

Here is a photo of the completed earring hanging on the wall....it is alongside a drawing by Peter Ragee, that I bought in Iqaluit last summer. 

Generally, there are two drawings usually there: the first (hanging) has the hunter waiting for the seal. The second of the companion drawings captures the moment when the hunter GETS the seal. 

I took down the second in honour of Brittany's project:  in her video, while she uses the music from Nanook, she actively did not use any of the music where there was an 'actual' kill (keeping instead the part where the actors are on the hunt.)   I am now thinking of my earring as 'the kill' (hahah).  I think that is in part a kind of auditory reference to one of the articles we read during the term, Kulchyski's "Hunting Stories" (double play, both on 'hunting', and on the search for stories). 

Now I am left with the question: does my success with the earring mean I am a good student, or rather that Brittany is a good teacher? :-)