Thunder in our Voices: Cello and Dene drums bring Berger Inquiry back to life
When the Dene artists began to weep, that's when they knew they were inspired to create works of art.
That's how Drew Ann Wake, curator of Thunder in our Voices, describes the process by which historical speeches from the Berger Inquiry have morphed into an art project that had its world debut in Fort Simpson, N.W.T. Thursday night.
Wake worked with 20 artists from the N.W.T. — and one from Old Crow, Yukon — who listened to the old recordings and created art from them.
That art was then paired with a photo montage and speeches from the Berger Inquiry and set to music. And not just any music — composer Daniel Seguin created a score that pairs cello with Dene drums.
"I gave [the artists] choices from their own community, so most of them got about five speeches," said Wake.
Justice Thomas Berger travelled through the Mackenzie Valley in the 1970s to speak to Dene about how a proposed natural-gas pipeline would affect them. The inquiry led to a moratorium on the pipeline until First Nations groups in the area settle their land claims.
Ferry closure throws wrench in show
In September, the group of artists held an exhibition in Vancouver when half of the pieces were complete, but this week marked the first time the exhibition has come to life in its full form.
Although there was a minor technical difficulty — the Liard Ferry closed for a day because of bad weather, meaning the Liard River separated the show's cellist from the Liidlii Kue First Nation drummers.
But the show went on — with pre-recorded drums.
Eric Wilson, a world-renowned cellist, played a piece called "Dehcho" for a group of about 70 people.
"I'm honoured to be here," said Wilson, a Juilliard-trained musician who teaches at University of British Columbia's faculty of music.
"I'm absolutely delighted to be a part of this and it's just a great privilege to be able to do it [in Fort Simpson]. It's really amazing. I've played in Carnegie Hall and several places in my career and this is as big a deal."
Daniel Seguin, who composed the piece, was working with Wake on other projects when she asked him if he'd come on board this one.
That was last May.
'A cello has such a wide range of emotions'
Seguin composed the score by synching it with the photo montage using a virtual orchestra studio.
He said there were many reasons for choosing to use cello in the piece apart from the fact that it's Wilson's instrument of choice.
"A cello has such a wide range of emotions," he said.
"It's very close to the human voice … the cello just has a great range from very low to very high. It can sing very well."
Seguin said he and Wake are working to bring the project online with a video of Wilson playing cello in the wilderness.
Thunder in our Voices was funded by a Canada 150 Canada Council grant.
