After hearing the painful story of a Facebook friend I have been thinking all day of the abusive and life destroying Residential School System in Canada. Thankfully this particular system of abuse has ended but the victims continue to suffer. It is important this story, their story, is told. As a privileged person from the white majority I knew almost nothing about the schools, the abuse, the terror of it all. The physical, mental and sexual abuse that was the Residential school system needs to be yelled out to the rest of Canada and the world. People need to hear about the effect the schools had on so many. Only then can those damaged be understood better and helped and only then can we prevent this from ever happening again.
The idea is to create a book-exhibition (could it be called TEARS, TRAIL OF TEARS, not sure of a title just yet). The book-exhibition would contain:
- Pictures of the left over schools, remnants of those worlds
- Portraits of the victims
- A written history of the residential school system
- Personal first person accounts from the victims, telling their stories in their words.
- During the exhibitions we could do a talks on the subject and bring in victims to tell their stories. Having the victims as speakers, the people in the portraits face to face with the gallery visitors, would be owe so human, it could slap the majority out of their indifference, it might lead to positive change.
Who knows something like this might be beneficial in many unknown ways.
If this idea worked and if the book could get published and sold, all money earned would be donated to an organization (not sure which) that helps Residential School victims.
My project idea is simple but oh so difficult to achieve. How can I possibly get people from the affected communities to trust me? To allow me into their lives, to let me share their most painful and hidden memories? This book is probably impossible to do. Probably reaching to high again.
Note* The term TRAIL OF TEARS has a very painful and deadly indigenous peoples history.
Trail of Tears
The idea is to create a book-exhibition (could it be called TEARS, TRAIL OF TEARS, not sure of a title just yet). The book-exhibition would contain:
- Pictures of the left over schools, remnants of those worlds
- Portraits of the victims
- A written history of the residential school system
- Personal first person accounts from the victims, telling their stories in their words.
- During the exhibitions we could do a talks on the subject and bring in victims to tell their stories. Having the victims as speakers, the people in the portraits face to face with the gallery visitors, would be owe so human, it could slap the majority out of their indifference, it might lead to positive change.
Who knows something like this might be beneficial in many unknown ways.
If this idea worked and if the book could get published and sold, all money earned would be donated to an organization (not sure which) that helps Residential School victims.
My project idea is simple but oh so difficult to achieve. How can I possibly get people from the affected communities to trust me? To allow me into their lives, to let me share their most painful and hidden memories? This book is probably impossible to do. Probably reaching to high again.
Note* The term TRAIL OF TEARS has a very painful and deadly indigenous peoples history.
Trail of Tears
