Vines Art Festival launches with Songs of Resistance, August 9
The seaside gathering features spoken word, dance, music, and more
La Caramelita.
Vines Art Festival presents Songs of Resistance on August 9 at 6 pm at St'ít'eweḵw'/Stanley Park (Second Beach)
IMAGINE JOINING HANDS and singing with like-minded souls under the trees by the ocean: This is Songs of Resistance, the kick-off event of the 9th annual Vines Art Festival.
Presented in partnership with Chaythoose, the event features a diverse lineup of creatives, all in support and celebration of the fest’s work toward land, water, and relational justice. Rejuvenation, reprieve, joy, and stories of ancestors are all part of the program.
The gathering opens at 6 pm with artists Cease Wyss, Senaqwila Wyss, Manuel Axel Strain, and Mary Point, with a welcome at 6:20 pm by Strain and Point.
Kin Balam.
Appearances by Kin Balam, a musician from the Indigenous lands of Kuxkatan, Nekepio, El Salvador (6:35 pm); and Cameroon-born, Paris-raised Jacky Essombe, an ambassador of African culture (6:50 pm), take place before a 7:15 pm musical performance by Miguel Maravilla and Jen Yakamovich. The pair’s Ang Lupa Ang Dahilan features synths, guitar, percussion, and vocals and fuses original and historical poetry and spoken word with revolutionary Filipino folk songs to “re-tell stories of resistance from the oppressed peoples of the Philippines, and its correlation to land defence on Turtle Island and around the world”.
At 7:35 p.m., it’s “Gwa and Miranda” (Secwépemc matriarch Miranda Dick and her sister, Gwa) followed by an 8 pm poetry set called anahita. The latter explores “themes of sexual violence, mental health/illness, MAD pride, diasporic musings, gender fuckery and unabashed joyyyyyyyyy despite/through it all!”
At 8:25 pm, Raven Grenier (a multifaceted artist who does formline design; is a traditional Gitxsan, contemporary, and pow-wow dancer; and lead vocalist for the Dancers of Damelahamid) presents Spanochnonga. The original dance piece is set to a spoken-word poetry track.
La Caramelita performs Reverdecer at 8:40 pm. Meaning “green-up”, the work is a ritual that combines Indian classical dance and flamenco-inspired movement to celebrate female embodiment and growth. It also honours inspiration drawn from nature to “regrow and reinvent oneself as an artist and as a compassionate human on this planet”.
At 9:05 pm, Anya Saugstad presents Ocean Roaring, a site-specific, no-tech dance and violin performance that follows the stories of six women on the ocean shore at dusk. It looks at distance and longing between people and the land and raises awareness of the sea as a scarce but vital resource.
The evening will also feature art installations by Manuel Axel Strain, a 2-Spirit artist from the lands and waters of the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Simpcw, and Syilx peoples; and proud Musqueam Indian Band member Shane Point.
All Vines performances are free, accessible, and held in public places, and there's a focus on the lived experiences of QTBIPOC and Disabled artists. See https://www.vinesartsociety.com/ for more info.
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