FORESHORE IMMERSIVE 2023
The “foreshore” describes the land along the edge of the water that is both submerged and revealed by the tide. Very simply, it is the wet part of the beach, a place of unclear jurisdiction, and thus of contestation, friction, and constant movement. Those who dwell in this zone must continually adapt to a changing environment. The foreshore conjures histories specific to this region: narratives of trade and exchange, habitation and nourishment, resistance and violent erasure, and evokes the emergence of possible futures. The foreshore has served as a fertile operative metaphor for Other Sights’ thinking for some years, developing into several programming strains. These include the Foreshore series of research presentations (2016-18), to public programs associated with our commissioning activities. Foreshore Immersive 2023-24) considers the potential of this zone in the context of response and adaptation to the pandemic, colonisation, climate crises, collective care and trauma.
Contemporary public art in British Columbia and beyond requires the creative vision and leadership of artists, writers and thinkers attending to the conditions of working in unceded territories, and to develop and strengthen partnerships between many individuals and organizations grappling with the uncertainties and challenges of the present moment. The overall project, The Foreshore Immersive, assesses the new conditions of public spaces at this phase in the pandemic, the ongoing urgencies of the climate crisis and the resurgence of Indigenous-led forms of scholarship and leadership. Artists, writers and others whose work exists philosophically, metaphorically and physically within the foreshore recognize the abundant potential of this interstitial space. In gathering at the foreshore, guest convenors will use the platform to network, share research, collaborate towards new workshops and partnerships and host discussions that will draw our communities of interest into relation on Musqueam, Kwantlen, and Tswwassen territory.