A tenuous we

(Cette note n'est disponible qu'en anglais.*)

This note was created as part of interConnect, a collaborative inquiry into digital transformation. Learn more in the box at the end of the text.

Supported by The Bows (Calgary) and inspired by the text WE SOLICIT THE DARKNESS by Liz Ikiriko and Anique Jordan (MICE Magazine, Issue Four), A tenuous we was a workshop series that met virtually once a month for two years (2020 - 2022). Acting as a space for IBPOC to gather and develop their individual practices within a collaborative, non-hierarchical setting, A tenuous we was made up of participants based in so called Canada and the USA, including Treaty 6, Treaty 7, and Treaty 9 land, the traditional lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, Stó:lō, Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh, and Kanien’kehá:ka peoples, and the Lenape peoples.‍

A tenuous we aimed to move past prescriptive narratives, exploring art, social movements, food, intimacy, institutional change, and new methods of collaboration, as well as dismantle colonial influence on our writing as a collective. After working together for two years and wanting to share what we learned, we published eight zines that explore our approach to facilitation and collective writing. We hope these publications will encourage others to create their own non-hierarchical spaces and explore collective text-making in all its forms.

A tenuous we was comprised of: Christina Battle, Joni Cheung, Mira Dayal, oualie frost, Steph Wong Ken, Mercedes Webb/Ma̱lidi, and Ryley Williams.

About this note   

• This note was nurtured by the discussions that took place during interConnect  workshops, particularly those of co-learning group 1.2.   
• Note contributed by Christina Battle.
• All information in this note has been retrieved from: “A tenuous we Launch,” The Bows, accessed 1 February 2024, https://www.thebows.org/projects/a-tenuous-we-launch.
• If you are the content owner or the organization concerned and would like to take control of ownership of the note, write to IMAA at info@imaa.ca. 

The interConnect initiative was led by the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA). The views expressed in this note are those of the author(s) and not official IMAA recommendations.

———

*interConnect était une initiative bilingue. Cependant, en raison de la quantité de contenu créé au cours du projet, et compte tenu des contraintes budgétaires et de la capacité de l'équipe, toutes les notes n'ont pas été traduites.