Tiffany Ayalik performs Itqakaijuq/Tries to Remember at Western Front, November 12 and 13
The multimedia work breathes new life into songs of the artist’s Inuinnait ancestors and community
Tiffany Ayalik. Photo courtesy the artist
Western Front presents Itqakaijuq/Tries to Remember at the Grand Luxe Halle at Western Front on November 12 and 13 at 7 and 9 pm.
TIFFANY AYALIK IS an Inuit multidisciplinary artist whom people might recognize from her role as host of Wild Kitchen (a show based in the Canadian Sub-arctic about people who harvest wild food) or as singer—along with her sister, Inuksuk Mackay—of throat-singing duo PIQSIQ.
The performer recently had a six-month residency at Western Front, where she directed her energy into reclaiming and revitalizing the songs her Inuinnait ancestors and community
Ayalik’s in-depth process involved studying a collection of songs that anthropologist Diamond Jenness transcribed, notated, and documented through wax-cylinder recordings during the 1913-18 Canadian Arctic Expedition. She also turned to Inuinnait elders to deepen her understanding of the language.
Itqakaijuq/Tries to Remember is her ensuing work. Using multi-channel audio and live vocal performance, Ayalik has reinterpreted six songs as a new 30-minute composition. She creates an entire world by augmenting the vocals with projected images inspired by the changing of the seasons and the natural environment of the North in a collaboration with artist T. Erin Gruber.
Ayalik hopes that Itqakaijuq/Tries to Remember will inspire others to reclaim and relearn languages that are at risk of becoming lost forever.
Visit westernfront.ca for more information
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