Project Description
Bizindaadiwag is an action to make audible Indigenous language present and publicly available. It creates an opportunity to hear language communicated by different ages and different voices. It provides a place where anyone on their language learning journey can pause to listen, perhaps speak and to meet others who have the same interest. Language is generational, parent to child, from the beginning of our lives to the end of our lives.
The project is made up of two benches at different heights, that of a child and that of an adult. Both benches have integrated audio of Indigenous language and are connected by a zig zag pattern on the ground. The zig zag is symbolic of the path of our lives with each of the seven points representing a different stage in our lives. The vertical elements which hold the audio components represent the spirit. We enter the world as spirit and leave the world as spirit.
Bizindaadiwag is part of the Speech Act Project and aims to advance the knowledge of Indigenous language and encourage people to listen and learn in the context of the land. Language is more than sounds ordered and arranged, it contains whole worlds, perspectives and cultural understanding in order to live in relation to rest of creation.
About the Artist
Ryan Gorrie is an architect and artist and is a member of Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek. Ryan strives to ensure the perpetuation of Indigenous culture through creative opportunities ranging from the crafting of traditional items for ceremonial use to large-scale landmark architecture.