by John Threlfall | Jul 14, 2020 | Alumni, Undergraduate, Visual Arts
For most people, a visit to the yoga studio simply adds a bit of metaphysicality to their workout: a chance to breathe, stretch and realign their chakras with a few oms and namastes. But for Visual Arts undergraduate Rudra Manani, it’s an example of the widespread spiritual whitewashing that not only drives her art practice but also her identity as a first-generation Indo-Canadian.
“There’s a fascination with Hindu practices, but it’s gotten so disconnected that people don’t often realize where it all began,” says Manani, who was born in India but raised in Calgary before coming to UVic to train as an artist. “Think about yoga and how commercialized it’s become: not just Lululemon but all the retreats and studios with statues of deities . . . it’s more associated with hippie culture than Hindu culture, especially on the Island.”
Rudra Manani
Connections and disconnections
Despite the fact that Hinduism is the third-largest religion (after Christianity and Islam) and is considered the world’s oldest faith, it’s rarely associated with the mainstream yoga practiced by over 300 million people worldwide, resulting in an estimated $80 billion annual spending on related clothing, activities and equipment.
“I have nothing against white people doing yoga, obviously, but I think there should be more recognition and acknowledgement of the traditional practices and how old yoga actually is,” she says, noting its ancient history in both African and Buddhist cultures. “A lot of my work stems from this, and it’s something I’ve been building towards during my whole degree practice . . . being on the Island and feeling disconnected from that culture to begin with, then seeing glimpses of it in everyday society, led me towards this.”
Rudra Manani’s “Get Your Om On” (2020, digital photograph)
Exploring identity
A multidisciplinary artist with a focus on photography and painting, Manani describes her art practice as taking a critical standpoint on the self-care industry in the West—specifically in its appropriation and fetishization of Hindu practices for profit, while simultaneously disconnecting Hinduism from its roots.
Consider the self-portrait “Get Your Om On”, which is part of the 2020 Visual Arts BFA graduation exhibit Suggested Serving Size: Manani’s photograph puts a voyeuristic spin on her Indo-Canadian identity with the idea of an outsider looking inwards.
“I was inspired by a contemporary video of traditional Indian dancing featuring the goddess Durga, where the dancers lined up and had all their arms seemingly coming out from one person,” she explains. “I wondered how I could reference the religious aspect of it, but also make it feel kind of off-putting, like there’s something wrong with it.”
It’s no coincidence that Manani is pictured in a white room of a typical suburban Canadian home, wearing traditional dress but wrapped in arms that are more groping and smothering than supportive or celebratory. “It speaks to my experience as someone living in a predominantly white city who often has to deal with cultural appropriations . . . I’ve gotten some backlash for it, but I often do feel like I’m outside looking in at my own roots, trying to figure out where I stand.”
“A deep thinker”
Visual Arts professor Rick Leong, whom Manani cites as being influential in the development of both her painting and multimedia practices, characterizes her as “a deep thinker who listened well, and certainly wasn’t afraid to take risks.”
“Rudra was always engaged and inquisitive, and she often navigated outside of her comfort zones,” Leong continues. “In one of her last projects she stretched quite a large canvas directly to the wall of the large painting studio, working through her ideas and pushing the work through several stages. I admired her ambition with the work, her perseverance with the process and the fact that the work was an exploration of the formation of identity in an uncertain or ambiguous context. I look forward to seeing how her creative career develops in the future.”
Future plans
While the COVID outbreak has crimped her immediate plans of accepting an artist residency in Greece, Manani is currently exploring gallery opportunities while looking for ways to increase the Indo-Canadian presence in the art scene. “There aren’t a lot of Indian artists talked about in school,” she says. “There is dialogue happening, but it’s still under the radar.”
In the meantime, her current work is certainly making her parents happy. “My mom read my bio and was really pleased that I’m exploring my identity,” she says with a laugh.
by John Threlfall | Jul 10, 2020 | Alumni, Art History & Visual Studies, Faculty, Graduate, indigenous, School of Music, Theatre, Undergraduate, Visual Arts, Writing
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted during his daily pandemic briefing on April 17, “Since the beginning of the current crisis, artists have been bringing comfort, laughs and happiness into our lives.” He’s right: the arts are important, particularly during a pandemic. In fact, COVID-19 has proven the arts are a social necessity. Creativity is always an assertion of hope.
But how and where are artists trained? In addition to exposure to the arts in elementary and secondary schools, the fine arts degree programs offered by many postsecondary institutions across Canada are crucial to the development of the next generation of artistic leaders.
Art History & Visual Studies student Ashley Riddett curated a community COVID exhibit both online & at Oak Bay’s Gage Gallery in June
Incubators for future creative leaders
A fine arts education—be it in music, theatre, dance, creative writing, visual arts or art history and visual studies—is not always an easy sell. The social utility and financial feasibility of the arts are often underrated. This is an erroneous view at best, given the more than 700,000 jobs and nearly $60-billion direct economic impact the cultural industries have in Canada.
As they write novels, sculpt, create digital art or compose music, our students are also learning transferrable skills that are essential for countering situations defined by uncertainty. Innovation and adaptability are an essential component of any fine arts education. The arts community was one of the first to pivot online after the sweeping cancellations of performances, concerts, readings, exhibits and arts-related events and conferences.
Here in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Victoria, we teach our students to think critically and creatively, to problem-solve and adjust to quickly changing circumstances—often with an audience watching. When you are performing in a play and the sound system suddenly cuts out or you forget your next line, you have to think on your feet. You have to perform under pressure. The show must, of course, go on.
With the theatres closed due to COVID, alumni group Theatre SKAM project took live theatre to the streets with a mix of students & alumni (Photo: Samantha Duerksen)
Learning how to swiftly adjust
The abrupt end of the term meant most students could not complete their creative projects as originally planned. I was delighted—though not surprised—to see how our graduating students responded to the pandemic by recording their recitals or shifting exhibitions online. Some assisted in repurposing equipment in our buildings, using sewing machines to make face masks and 3D printers to contribute to UVic’s face shield initiative.
Organizations and corporations are built on a combination of individual achievement and teamwork. Studying the piano or any other instrument requires dedication and self-discipline; playing in an orchestra, jazz ensemble or singing in a choir develops attentiveness to others around you, while providing the kind of satisfaction that only comes from collective accomplishments. To write a poem is to distill emotion and ideas; it’s an art form where precision is demanded and the power of words heeded—excellent training for careers requiring meticulous and thoughtfully written communication.
With his graduation recital cancelled, Masters of Music candidate Jorge Eduardo Flores Carrizales used the School of Music’s facilities to record his performance for online viewing
Creative entrepreneurs
Will there be jobs for fine arts students when they graduate? Maybe. This is the same answer I offered before the pandemic. Some of our graduates will enter the arts sector while others will pursue other options. All, however, will be well-positioned thanks to their education in the fine arts, because we train our students to be creative entrepreneurs, to be aware that they need to generate their own opportunities. We teach the importance of thinking creatively for the moment we are in … and the moments yet to come.
I often muse that that the Faculty of Fine Arts should really be called the Faculty of Social Engagement. As we move forward, artists will continue to respond to social calamity as they have for millennia: their performances, paintings, movies, stories and curatorial activities will invite us to consider the significance of the pandemic, both personally and communally. Ideas are already percolating in the imaginations of many Fine Arts students at my university.
The community-engaged and Indigenous-related research and creative activities that many students in fine arts are currently pursuing promises to build intercultural alliances and to help decolonize academic institutions through the arts. They will also foreground the impact of the pandemic across diverse populations while using the arts to dismantle systemic racism.
When the outbreak abruptly cancelled Victoria’s UNO Festival, our Indigenous Resurgence Coordinator Lindsay Delaronde adapted her live performance for a livestream audience instead
Students are our future
Fine arts graduates will not only teach us new ways to create art online, but their design capabilities and inventiveness will help us explore the potential of our increased social reliance on interactive technologies. Will online streaming of performances, concerts and gallery exhibits become the new normal? It’s too early to say, but the COVID-19 generation of artists will be well prepared to do so.
As we wait to see what September brings for a postsecondary fine arts education (will we be leading online orchestras or creating new Zoom plays?), we will also have to wait for today’s students to show us what artistic ingenuity truly looks like in a post-COVID-19 world.
Acting Dean Allana Lindgren
I am confident that fine arts schools across the country will remain vital incubators for our future creative leaders within the arts community and beyond.
—Allana Lindgren
Allana Lindgren is the acting dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Victoria. This opinion piece originally ran in University Affairs magazine on July 9, 2020.
by John Threlfall | Jul 8, 2020 | Award, Faculty, Theatre
While the prestigious Molson Prize may not ring any immediate bells, a quick glance through the list of previous winners reveals a who’s-who of Canadian culture: Margaret Atwood, Glenn Gould, Richard Wagamese, Alice Munro, Robertson Davies, Bill Reid, Mary Pratt, Jack Shadbolt, MG Vassanji, Margaret Laurence, Denys Arcand, Arthur Erickson . . . with over 100 luminaries representing Canada’s intellectual and cultural heritage, it’s like the ultimate CBC guest list.
One category missing from this list of prestigious artists, writers, composers, architects, choreographers and academics, however, is theatrical designers.
But that has now changed forever, as theatre professor and legendary production designer Mary Kerr becomes the first designer to be named a Molson Prize Laureate in the prize’s 56-year history.
Mary Kerr in her office at UVic’s Department of Theatre, surrounded by her various designs, 2016 (UVic Photo Services)
A gifted artist and inspiring mentor
From the iconic likes of Expo 67, Expo 86 and the 1994 Commonwealth Games to nearly every professional stage in the country, Mary Kerr’s visionary theatrical designs have transformed Canadian culture over the past five decades.
“We are so fortunate to have Mary’s talents here at the University of Victoria,” says Vice-President Academic and Provost Valerie Kuehne. “Not only is she an exceptionally gifted artist, she’s also an inspired teacher and mentor. Her work elevates UVic’s position as a national leader in fine arts and brings positive attention to the cultural strengths of Canadian art and production design on the global stage.”
The Molson Prize, which honours contributions to Canada’s cultural and intellectual heritage, is only the latest honour for the theatre professor. Kerr is also a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, the Royal Society of Canada and has represented Canada at numerous international theatrical design competitions over the past 30 years.
“This award is an important way for other designers to gain heart: they can see their work is being received equal to painting or sculpture,” says Kerr. “To me, good theatre is a vision quest: it can change your life.”
Two prizes of $50,000 are awarded each year, one in the arts and the other in the social sciences or humanities. This is the third Molson Prize for UVic and its first in the Faculty of Fine Arts. John Borrows (Law) received a Molson Prize last year and Angus McLaren (History) received the university’s first in 2008. Funded from a $1-million endowment by the Molson Family Foundation, the Molson Prizes are administered by the Canada Council for the Arts in conjunction with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
People worldwide witnessed the pagentry of Mary Kerr’s designs during the televised closing of the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria (Image provided courtesy of Mary Kerr)
A career as diverse as Canadian culture
Given her background in dance and sculpture, and her celebrated career as a production designer in Canadian and international theatre, dance, opera, feature film, television, exhibition and special events design, Kerr’s oeuvre is as diverse as Canadian culture itself.
“If we’re lucky, we get the culture we deserve to create in—and I was lucky,” says Kerr, looking back over her 50-year career. “It was exploding, it was exploring, it was a time to break the rules and be authentic.”
From designing the internationally televised opening and closing ceremonies of the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria to creating sets for The Tommy Hunter Show, from working on opera stages around the world to working with children’s entertainers Sharon, Lois and Bram, Kerr has forged her own path through hundreds of projects and numerous awards and nominations.
“If I’m happy with what I’ve done, I move on,” she says philosophically. “While it is work, I don’t just think of it as craft or technique. Hopefully, each show I do—each challenge I’m given, each puzzle I solve—is a movement of growth and creation.”
Not that her work has been limited to Canada: iconic ballet star Rudolf Nureyev invited Kerr to design productions at the Paris Opera Ballet, where he was artistic director—the first Canadian to receive such an honour—and her one-woman musical about Marc Chagall’s wife, Bella—Bella, the Colour of Love (which she co-wrote)—was commissioned and produced for the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Kimmel Centre in Philadelphia, before touring to New York, Poland and Toronto.
Her production designs have been described as “kinetic sculpture on stage” and are characterized by experimentation with architectural concepts, scale, materials, colours and often satiric cultural commentary on the human condition.
“Einstein said, ‘creativity is intelligence having fun’—that captures my life practice,” says Kerr. “I’m not that interested in realism; I’m interested in exploration, illusion, what’s going on in someone’s mind . . . that’s what I love about theatre, the ability to bring some kind of transformation and healing to the audience.”
Case in point? Her visionary designs for the 2007 National Arts Centre production of Copper Thunderbird, based on the life and works of Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau, which were later the focus of an exhibit at UVic’s Legacy Art Gallery. This groundbreaking exhibit paired Kerr’s sketches, models, costumes, process photographs and nationally broadcast video of the production alongside Morrisseau’s own paintings.
“In some ways, my work was a bridge between Canadian art and Canadian theatre, because there weren’t a lot of theatre designers who came from an art background in the 1970s . . . stylized theatre wasn’t being done that much when I started. But I didn’t know what I should or shouldn’t do: I just did. In retrospect, I didn’t realize how experimental or unusual my work was at the time.”
Mary Kerr’s production designs for the 2007 play Copper Thunderbird helped bring the life and work of Anishinaabe artist Norville Morisseau to life at the National Arts Centre, and were the focus of a 2008 exhibit at UVic’s Legacy Art Gallery (National Arts Centre)
Mentoring the next generation
Kerr’s work has been the subject of a documentary film (Mary Kerr: the Creative Process) and is housed in many collections including The Mary Kerr Collection at the Metro Toronto Library and the Paris Opera Archival Museum. She was also recently chosen by her peers to have her work shown as “Canada’s Design Legend” at the 2019 Prague Quadrennial International Design Competition. But it hasn’t always been easy.
“Women primarily designed costumes—not sets—when I started out,” she says. “I was often scorned by the professional male designers who felt women were not technical enough to design sets. The director was considered the ‘conceiver’ behind the show, but I work as an equal creator: a visual dramaturge.”
And while opportunities for women have improved, Kerr still feels called to raise awareness in the next generation of designers, and to remind women today what they can achieve in the field. That’s part of what she has brought to her students in UVic’s theatre department since 1998, where she teaches courses in the sociology and semiotics of contemporary and historical fashion, costume and stage architecture, theatrical aesthetics and “Ways of Seeing”.
At the same time, Kerr also guides students through the process of conceiving and designing costumes and sets for productions at UVic’s Phoenix Theatre, and regularly mentors students after graduation to successful design careers in Canada and around the world.
As noted in the Molson Prize nomination letter, international opera designer Michael Levine says that Kerr “has always been a leading light in the field of set and costume design, both in Canada and abroad. Her work is bold and brave and thrilling to watch. She has inspired many designers to follow her path.”
As production designer for the 2012 UVic Phoenix Theatre production of Euridyce, Kerr’s artistic vision encompassed every aspect of the stage. (Photo: David Lowes)
Ways of seeing
It should perhaps be no surprise that two previous recipients of the Molson Prize—visionary thinkers Marshall McLuhan and Northrop Frye—were two of Kerr’s own mentors as a student.
“I based my ‘Ways of Seeing’ UVic class on McLuhan’s method,” says Kerr. “We’d all be sitting around in a circle and he’d just talk—we’d rarely say anything—and his mind bounced around like a wonderful hummingbird, or maybe a big eagle. It totally fascinated me that learning wasn’t something you found in a book but something you put together in your mind . . . it was a very different way of approaching it. Frye, he was more of an academic, but he was also a mystic.”
Given that she’s still guided by the influence of her own mentors, what advice does she offer her own students? “Learn the rules and then break them. Be fearless and authentic in your art. Do not copy. Be an original. Be a compassionate and curious human first, an artist second and only then perhaps a production designer.”
Over 22 million people attended Vancouver’s Expo 86 and were thrilled by the colourul spectacle of the Canadian Pavilion’s First Theatre, with production design by Mary Kerr (Image provided courtesy of Mary Kerr)
Theatre in a time of crisis
Finally, with international productions at a halt because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, Kerr is currently working on a collection of essays and stories about her life and experiences as a designer—which, combined with the Molson Prize, has offered the opportunity for reflection.
“In Buddhism, they talk about the Kalachakra wheel—when the wheel of the world turns, things change—and some say that’s what’s going on right now. Will theatre come back the way it was? I don’t think so—and I don’t think it should,” she reflects.
“I keep wondering what McLuhan, who could see to the edge of the earth, would be saying or doing in this precarious time. He called artists the ‘early warning systems of a culture’ . . . so how can we warn and help today?”
Whatever the future holds for theatrical presentations, it’s a safe bet Mary Kerr will be there on the edge herself, envisioning a dynamic and colourful design.
Playful and bright, Kerr’s production design was an ideal match for the fairy tale classic, The Wind In The Willows, staged at UVic’s Phoenix Theatre in 2007. (Photo: Tim Matheson)
