JUSTICE IN ABSTRACTION

Just as the key to understanding Picasso’s abstraction of Mari-Thérèse is to, “realize that abstractions may not represent whole things but one or another of their less obvious properties” (Root-Bernstein 2001) I took on the concept of justice – and identified one of its less obvious properties.   To me cultural preservation is a less obvious property of justice.  I looked at abstracting justice in multiple ways. For my two pieces of abstract art I took on two ways of looking at the arguable center of Anishinaabe culture – the hand drum.  Both of my pieces have a way of incorporating water justice into them as well.  For the Anishibnaabe (the people of the Great Lakes) water is very central to our culture.  Many Indigenous people are creating a movement around water preservation and cultural preservation. 

The first abstract art piece utilized photography as a medium that is further edited to create movement and light.  The photograph I took is from a march that I participated in at Houston Texas with the local tribes.  The march was in solidarity with the larger Indigenous community on the Sacred Stone/ Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota that is fighting the Dakota Access Pipe-Line (DAPL). 

Heart Beat:

I was taught about the hand drum’s significance as the first thing that we hear in our mothers womb is our mother’s heart beat.  It is the rhythm of many indigenous songs and prayers reflecting the heart beat.  It is also a beat that connects us to our mother’s earth.  The world moves with a similar beat to our hearts.  Hand drums are crucial to cultural preservation because most tribes accross North American utilize a hand drum (or similar instrument) to pass on songs and used in ceremony.  In that way we remember values, language and practices.  The picture is of someone that was in the front of the March wearing traditional regalia.  He is also holding a hand drum and is smudging with sage in a conch shell.  Even though this tribe is geographically far from Michigan – these elements of ceremony are essentially the same.  Each from is a close up of these practices.  It is movement as a cultural movement.  It is movement as a justice movement and movement as in motion.  The march for in solidarity with DAPL is also to protect the waters.

Water theme:

I very interested in trying to incorporate photography into the abstraction theme- the photo was meant to look like water (or reflect water in some way) and also to reflect the idea of intense movement – in relation to social justice movement.  The song I choose to sing (which was something I initially was terrified to do - but exploration ultimately won out) is commonly referred to as the water song.  I was taught this when I was young and women sing it, as they are the water keepers.   This particular song along with the hand drum is meant to mimic the sounds of water – from the babbling brook to a raging waterfall (I didn’t exactly get to that range – but I have heard it done).

Patterns of Settler Colonialism:

I loved reading about patterns in Sparks of Genius – and how difficult breaking patterns can be if we are acculturated to preferring particular methods, as described in the book “[in European music]The patterns and melodies we hear are preplanned and intended.  Some tribal music however results from collaboration by the players on the spur of the moment.” (Root-Bernstein 1999)

American (Indian) Gothic - David Bradley

When I think of patterns within Environmental Justice I think of patterns of oppression and protest, oppression and protest.  At this moment I am somewhat lost on what breaking that pattern looks like.  But, last night I participated in the MSU Native American student welcome, I may have had a breakthrough. My friend, Sacramento Knoxx was performing, I love his work because it is multi media.  While he raps, his beats, that incorporate powwow music are in the background and a video (of his creation), is synchronized to the beats.  His videos are all superimposed images.  Video of him, his collective, pictures of modern day Detroit, and other Detroit hip hop artists are juxtaposed under footage of traditional Anishinaabe dance. 

I have been struggling with the concept of “Just Development” in the city of Detroit.  With the rapid urban renewal happening in Detroit its hard to distinguish what is being done in the name of progress and what is harmful displacement.  Seeing the images of the Anishinaabe people in Knoxx’s film is a concrete reminder that this is not even close to the first time that a people has been removed to be replaced by a “new-native”.  I am interested in exploring patterns of Settler Colonialism and Gentrification.

I think mainstream US culture is used to thinking about “development” in terms of a creation of a university trained urban planner.  But the patterns of the city that are created by the people and cultures that are created organically over time may be more just.

As bleak as the situation in Detroit has been painted, there are glimmers of sunlight.  Long time residence are working to create alternitives that include a justice framework in their concept of Detroit Community Sustainability.  Below are a few brief examples that look at claiming space, creating energy justice block by block and call on artist and culture creators to call out gentrification as a form of settler colonialism.

Detroit residents are trying an new approach to decolonization by creating, Liberated Zones, in currently owned community properties, such as community gardens, repurposed building and community centers, and are looking to purchase more. 

On the Navaho Nation, Tribal government and members are innovating an energy transition to disrupt the patter of settler colonialism.  “Before Peabody’s bank accounts went bankrupt, they had already bankrupt the natural state of my homelands, depleted and contaminated our sole drinking water source, desecrated sacred sites and disrupted our obligation to take care of our mother earth. Obviously Peabody’s business model is bankrupt at every turn,” says Navajo tribal member and BMWC’s Black Mesa Solar Project Manager Wahleah Johns.  BMWC began focusing on economic just transition efforts over 15 years ago.  BMWC and others created the Just Transition Coalition whose work culminated in February 2013. The California Public Utilities Commission voted to use revenues from the sale of sulfur dioxide allowances from the shutdown MGS to create a revolving fund at 4.5 million a year to pay development deposits for renewable projects that benefit the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation and California ratepayers.  In 2009 BMWC established the Navajo Green Economy Fund and Commission within the structure of the Navajo Nation tribal government, the first green economy legislation passed by any tribal government. Its aim was to draw in federal funds to support a just transition and to empower the tribal government to envision and begin creating a more sustainable and just economy (Gearon 2016).

Artist and culture creators, sometimes sited as the initiators of gentrification, are starting to take a stand on gentrification as well.  Anyone interested in social justice and building the economy of Detroit does not have to be a pawn in the gentrification and displacement game.  Participants at Idea City came up with a tool kit for artist that want to subvert the traditional course of development (Vo 2016).

Hopefully, by recognizing our patterns of settler colonialism, champions of sustainability will not sit idling by but work with residents to create a truly just and sustainable community for longtime residents that are of indigenous heritage, low-income or residents of color.

References:

Gearon, Johan.  April 2016.  Navaho Tribal Members Demand Just Transition to a Sustainable Economy. Indigenous Environmental Network News

Vo, Hung. 2016.  Pop-Up Urbanism At The United Nations.  Huffington Post.  Posted:11:43 October 21^st.