With the short film Autumn Strawberry on view now at the Surrey Art Gallery, director/animator Cindy Mochizuki, and choreographer Lisa Mariko Gelley create an artistic documentation of both history and emotion.
Through a collective of storytelling mediums, the 11-minute piece reflects on the Japanese-Canadian communities of the Fraser Valley who, at the start of WW2, were forced into internment camps in Alberta and the BC interior. Many of these families who had been farmers in areas like North Surrey (Strawberry Hill), Langley, Haney/Maple Ridge and Mission had their land seized and their lives upended because of this sweeping racist action.
With animation, choreography, set design and sculpture, Autumn Strawberry (Dance Film) takes the viewer on an intimate retelling of what those moments felt like at the time, and what it’s like for the descendants of those families to cope with these generational memories.
Dancers move with neutral faces as Mochizuki’s animation flows around them, taking physical inspiration from the stories being told. It’s a bold and often harrowing account that the artist has created from hearing the stories of displaced families.
The soft, dream-like aesthetic of the animation creates the feeling that the spirits of these long-gone community members still permeate each scene. There’s a real sense of lineage through every moment that brings to mind the still-present anti-Asian sentiment that sadly continues to exist here. But within that harsh reality, there always is hope.
The hope of planting seeds and anticipating growth. Or watching a strawberry ripen before picking, and knowing that a new and better life may come when the sun rises again. It’s this type of resilient storytelling that highlights the strength of the Japanese community and the families that have shared their memories here.
An artist’s book publication based on the Autumn Strawberry project will be published in spring 2023 with essays by Namiko Kunimoto and Cindy Mochizuki and interviews with choreographer Lisa Mariko Gelley and composer Nancy Tam.
Autumn Strawberry (Dance Film) is on display at the Surrey Art Gallery until April 30
For more information, visit: surrey.ca/arts-culture/surrey-art-gallery/exhibitions/cindy-mochizuki
From Surrey Central Station, take the #321 bus to 88th Ave, then walk about 10 minutes east!
This exhibit is a continuation of the journey of reclamation and rebuilding bonds of cultural knowledge. An original reboot of the Tāpis exhibit, it adds three new makers now holding the knowledge of tāpis/tuppies (dog blankets).
When Adele ᒪᐢᑿᓱᐤᐃᐢᑵᐤ asked to be taught this knowledge from her mentor, it was with the intent of restoring important cultural knowledge taken from so many Northern Nations. For this cohort, Adele ᒪᐢᑿᓱᐤᐃᐢᑵᐤ chose makers who exhibited personal and cultural ethics close to her own, along with levels of skill necessary to undertake such a large project. “Each of these blankets takes a minimum of 200 hours (or more) to be brought to completion. It is with great pride to be able to showcase this exhibit. It has been created to show the beauty and celebration of dog regalia as completed by Michif, Dene, and other Nations to celebrate our valued dog kin.”
Originating from the Métis, Northern Cree, and Dene communities, ‘li tāpis’ (small carpet), named by the French Michif and known as ‘tuppies’ by the English and Scottish Michif, are dog blanket regalia created to celebrate dogs. Tāpis are made from wool and embellished with intricate beadwork, silk embroidery, moose or caribou hair tufting, fringed with ribbon or yarn and adorned with bells. Showing respect for sled dogs, tāpis were draped over the backs of dogs.