Vol. 15 No. 2
Fall / Winter 2020
This is the year that re-made the world.
Writing in the Financial Times, Indian author Arundhati Roy examined the effect of the coronavirus pandemic through the lens of possibility: “Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.”[1]
And within the time marked by the spread of the virus, we also bear witness to social upheaval in response to continued state- sanctioned violence against Black people, the overwhelming tragedy of avoidable accidents like the Beirut explosion, and the destruction wrought by environmental events including fire and water.
It’s against this backdrop that this particular issue of Studio was commissioned, edited and produced. These events are not distinct or separate from the lives (and livelihoods) of our communities—from makers who belong to communities fighting for change, to those who comment on and respond to the current moment through their craft.
Writer and textile artist Nancy Johnston writes about the ways in which the pandemic has caused disability arts organizations to re-think access as they re-consider and re-imagine programming and support during the ongoing pandemic. The coronavirus itself is re-made through beading—through her craft, Ruth Cuthand places the virus in conversation with other disease-causing organisms that have fundamentally altered society.
Marilyn Smulder’s delightful feature mirrors the vibrance and storytelling in the work of curator David Woods, who preserves and revives traditional African Nova Scotian quiltmaking.
For examples of the possibilities that exist in a post-pandemic world, Izzy Camilleri’s work models how thoughtful craft have a place in building a new and more equitable world. Her approach represents the urgent changes to systemic thought that designer Sheila Sampath outlines in her essay on co-creation and world- building, which in turn complements Michael Prokopow’s essay on the importance and power of naming.
Online at studiomagazine.ca, we’ve been expanding our content with a new column called Communiqués: members of the craft and design community write about their response to current events. We’re also expanding our Reviews section—please reach out to us
if you’re interested in reviewing an exhibition or book on Canadian craft and design.
As we move through what Roy refers to as the portal of the pandemic, we can start to consider a new world. Artists, makers, craftspeople and designers intimately and viscerally understand the process of formation and its potentially surprising outcomes: here’s to co-creating and building a world together.
[1] Arundhati Roy, “The Pandemic Is a Portal,” Financial Times, April 3, 2020, https://www.ft.com/content/10d8f5e8-74eb-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca
Nehal El-Hadi Editor-In-Chief
CONTENTS:
Editor’s Note
Focal Point: Toni Losey Ray Mackie writes about Toni Losey’s new sculptural explorations. read article
What’s In A Name? Returning to Indigenous names is a powerful step in decolonizing, writes Michael Prokopow.
REVIEW ESSAY Beauty Out Of Beastly Actions Asia Clarke investigates the microbes and viruses that Ruth Cuthand beads as a way of preserving history.
Secret Codes Marilyn Smulders takes a look at African Canadian quilting traditions in Nova Scotia. read article
Shift/Adapt Izzy Camilleri talks to Leopold Kowolik about her history in fashion and future in adaptive design. read article
Re-Thinking Access Writer and fibre artist Nancy Johnston speaks with disability arts organizations about their responses to the coronavirus pandemic.
‘Untitled’ and ‘Ode To Queer Black & Brown Weavers’ Poems by melannie monoceros, a Winnipeg-based poet and interdisciplinary artist.
We Can Build In Different Ways Personal reflections from designer and educator Sheila Sampath on the value of co-creation. read article
Portfolio ALLELES Design Studio (Victoria, B.C.), Omar Badrin (Toronto, Ont.), Montserrat Duran Muntadas (Montréal, Que.)
Inquiries: Maegen Black The Director of the Canadian Crafts Federation / Fédération canadienne des métiers d’art discusses her work. read article
