Conversation suggests a process that is open ended. It also suggests a relationship that is ongoing with engagement that can be of value to each individual or group – communication that is reciprocal.
New information about a place where we live or visit enriches our experience of it. Having a deeper understanding is a gift. With a broader understanding we can contribute to our community in more informed ways.
With his work, Jeff demonstrates that national narratives aren’t set in stone, or metal. They can become dismantled, interrupted, reevaluated and renewed. It is this negotiation between the official historical account and the experience and perspective of Indigenous people impacted by it that has informed Jeff’s work.
How has moving through the landscape with Jeff’s perspective changed you?
The above image is taken at the shoreline of Asinabka (Victoria Island), a small island that is located in the middle of the river between the Ontario and Quèbec sides. When at the shoreline, one has a unique perspective of Parliament and other buildings for the Canadian Government.
Asinabka has also been an important site for Indigenous activism.
NEW! Scout Relocation Project RFP – view here
A project reimagining the colonial landscape through the eyes of the Anishinabe Scout
Through his photo-based practice, Jeff Thomas has addressed the colonial erasure of Indigenous presence, particularly in the urban space. With over three decades of engagement with the Champlain monument as well as with the Anishinabe Scout’s relocation site at Major Hill’s Park, the figure of Scout has become an avatar for Thomas, a way to move through the urban space while asserting:
“We are still here.”