After nine years, the performance series, Talkin’ Back to Johnny Mac, returns to Kingston.
The series Talkin’ Back to Johnny Mac x2, curated by Erin Sutherland, PhD ’17, returns to the former site of the John A. Macdonald statue to challenge historical narratives and create space for reflection and Indigenous presence. Originally performed in 2015, the exhibition responds to the 2021 removal of the statue from City Park. Running from Oct. 21 to 25, the series features three performances of various disciplines, ending with a lecture from Sutherland on Oct 25.
Hosted by the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, curator Sutherland and Associate Curator, Care and Relations, Sebastian De Line, have brought the series back to challenge the narratives and individuals that have dominated history. By reimagining the space as a counter-monument, they invite the Kingston community to engage with socio-political issues, fostering dialogue, joy, and a sense of togetherness.
“I wanted to explore the site, where the statue was, and what it means to people now that the statue is gone. I’m interested in thinking through colonial monuments and the way they take up space and how alternative narratives are often erased,” Sutherland said in an interview with The Journal.
The series began on Oct. 21 with a spoken word performance titled “Dear ____” by David Garneau, a Métis artist and professor of visual arts at the University of Regina. Garneau did a series of poetry readings where he reflected on his experience during the first performance series in 2015, writing poetry in relation to, and addressed to, John A. Macdonald.
Inter-media and performance artist and scholar Leah Decter’s “remains,” which reflects on what remains in the park, followed on Oct. 22. The performance took a more somber approach, by looking at how little is referenced about Indigeneity in the park.
“I think of each of these performances as a counter monument to the original statue. It also asserts Indigenous presence, which I appreciate, as a form of decolonization. I appreciate that it asserts Indigenous presence and makes space for these voices,” Sutherland said.
The grand finale for the performances was a community karaoke event on Oct. 23, titled “Love Songs to End Colonization,” led by Tahltan Nation Indigenous artist Peter Morin with interdisciplinary artist Jimmie Kilpatrick. The idea was to reframe traditional love songs to see how they can decolonization.
At the beginning of the event, Morin emphasized everyone in attendance was a transitory power that had the ability to be an amplifier. By encouraging dancing and singing together, it was a way to amplify the joy, power, and community that existed in the tent, on the old statue block, and in broader Kingston.
Attendees took turns singing songs, including “Maps,” “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Love is an Open Door,” “Linger,” “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” and more. The rough cement where Macdonald’s statue used to stand became a stage that turned everyone into stars. There was a dance floor, a disco ball, rainbow lights, and clap activated lights, which emphasized the celebratory party atmosphere.
A Haudenosaunee strawberry drink was offered to attendees. When the wind blew, red and yellow leaves cascaded onto the crowd, the night transforming the site of the old colonial statue into an open and magical gathering space—the performances serving as a creative and entertaining way of encouraging us to reflect on community and Macdonald’s legacy in our contemporary present.
“I just hope we can come together as a community, as folks that love art, and have a good time,” Sutherland said in an interview with The Journal.
Having this vibrant Indigenous presence at the space of the old statue felt like a significant cultural moment and reclamation of power as Macdonald’s politics negatively impacted, and continue to impact Indigenous communities. The exhibition was a conversation on colonial memory, and how the people’s strength and the community were able to turn hardships and oppressive historical narratives into a show of strength.
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