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Victoria Singh
Tipi-Aalaya
Performance: Thursday, June 14 at 8 pm
Installation: June 14 - 23, 2007
"I cover a teepee with saris instead of skins. When I was young, I was ashamed to be seen with my grandmother, Aji: she wore saris. People would know I was the wrong kind of Indian." Victoria Singh
Tipi-Aalaya is a task-oriented performance incorporating elements of ritual and repetition set within a spoken-word soundscape. Drawing on her experience as a child of Fijian Indian and European parents growing up in New Zealand, and mistaken for a North American Indian, Singh addresses issues of identity, culture, otherness, and fusion. Her performance is followed by an installation that remains as a visual metaphor for her performative contemplations.
Victoria Singh is a multi-disciplinary artist currently based in Vancouver BC. Her recent works include an exhibition of paintings (East is West at DADABASE) and collaborations with internationally known performance artists Linda Montano and Annie Sprinkle.
During her time in Canada, Singh has curated and collaborated with nationally celebrated Aboriginal artists Aiyyana Maracle, Reona Brass, Archer Pechawis, Cheli Nighttraveller, Warren Arcan and Rebecca Belmore. These experiences have informed and inspired Tipi-Aalaya.
Video documentation of Tipi-Aalaya, 15:32. Click here to launch video.
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