In Honour of Her, A Loveletter to Aki
The Gather-Ring, Portage Bridge, Ottawa, ON
Walk around the areas highlighted on the map to listen to the stories on location. All you need is a device with you that can run the link in a browser (Internet connection required).
Emily Marie Seguin’s live audio recordings taken from throughout the Ottawa downtown core create a dense composition, accompanied by memories from Jennifer Ferrante that recount a Mother and Daughter’s relationship to the territory and calls to the importance of the wellness of Aki.
Storyteller Statement: Emily Marie Séguin
In Honour of Her; A Love Letter to Aki is composed of layered live audio recordings taken around the Gather-Ring, Victoria Island, and Parliament Hill. It’s dense composition is broken into three parts, interspersed with song and verses from the unceded memory of Jennifer Ferrante. Her story, being the inspiration of this piece, recounts both her and her mother’s relationship to this unceded Anishinabeg territory known as Ottawa.
“The Land here gives me strength.”
This piece both mourns and celebrates our women, and calls to the importance of the wellness of Aki. It is everyone’s responsibility to be caretakers on this land. Gitchi miigwetch to Jennifer for her generosity in offering her story and that of her Mother. I raise my hands to you. Most importantly, please walk gently on the back of our Mother, she is and always has been the core of our existence. Honour Her.
Credits
Emily Marie Seguin
Interpreted from a Memory from Jennifer Ferrante
Dawn Seguin, Live Audio Capture
Additional credits:
Brit Johnston, Artist Liaison
Howard Adler, Videographer
Jaime Morse, Consulting (Ottawa)
Heather Cant, Consulting (Indigenous Cities)