REBECCA BELMORE

Rising to the Occasion by Rebecca Belmore

Rising to the Occasion by Rebecca Belmore

Introduction

"Rebecca Belmore draws vigilance to the consequences of colonization on First Nations women in Rising to the event with a red dress that is an artifact from Twelve Angry Crinolines, and a quiet parade (conceived by Lynn Sharman) arranged in Thunder embayment in 1987. The parade was a answer to Prince Andrew and Lady Sarah Ferguson's visit to Canada, and the fact that, during this visit, they toured a pioneer outpost and rode in a birch-bark canoe. Belmore deftly utilises blended newspapers to combine clichés from British and First Nations culture." (www.rebeccabelmore.com)

Thesis Statement

Rebecca Belmore comprises a assortment of work that spans the course of her significant vocation, drawing out attachments between early performances and later sculptures, images and videos through recurring metaphors that are as challenging as they are poignant.

Discussion and Analysis

Rising to the event, is a dress conceived by Belmore for a performance staged in answer to an authorized visit by the Duke and Duchess of York to Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1987. The dress, damaged by the artist to welcome the officials, glaringly combines clichés from British and Aboriginal cultures. The fine Victorian outfit fabricated with embroidered velvet and satin is affixed with a buckskin edge, beadwork and two porcelain saucers, while the bustle, resembling a beaver hut made of twigs, is embedded with trinkets and trade objects. Belmore's nimble use of the trappings from both Aboriginal and European heritage challenges the stereotypes of both, a method used all through her work.

The soonest work in the public showing, Rising to the Occasion, is a dress conceived by Belmore for a presentation staged in answer to an authorized visit by the Duke and Duchess of York to Thunder embayment, Ontario in 1987. The dress, damaged by the creative person to greet the officials, glaringly combines clichés from British and Aboriginal cultures. The fine Victorian outfit fabricated with embroidered velvet and satin is affixed with a buckskin fringe, beadwork and two porcelain saucers, while the bustle, resembling a beaver hut made of twigs, is embedded with trinkets and trade objects. Belmore's nimble use of the trappings from both Aboriginal and European cultures challenges the stereotypes of both, a tactic used throughout her work (www.rebeccabelmore.com).

The public showing undoes, for example, with a pairing of one of the artist's oldest works—1987's increasing to the event, a Victorian-style ...