Weaving Belonging
Weaving Belonging is a community-engaged public art project by artist Aaniya Asrani with the support of STEPS Public Art’s CreateSpace Public Art Residency, community collaborators and participants, and local groups in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Project at a glance
Location: Clinton Park Field House, 2690 Grant Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
Artists: Aaniya Asrani
Documentarians: Thomas Jose
Year: 2023-2024
Services: Artist Capacity Building
1
artist-in-residence
2
public art activations
7
collaborators and interview stories
60+
community participants
About Weaving Belonging
Weaving Belonging is a public art project by Aaniya Asrani that was inspired by dialogue sessions facilitated by the artist at the Immigrant Services Society of BC and the Belonging in Unceded Territories research project by UBC’s Centre for Migration Studies. Bringing settler colonialism into the centre of conversations on social belonging in Vancouver, these projects ask:
- What does it mean for today’s settlers–those among us who have lived here for generations and those who have just arrived–to acknowledge our own position in relation to Indigenous presence in these lands?
- How can we develop place-based narratives of belonging that do not shy away from confronting the ugly truth of ongoing settler colonialism?
- How can we live as good guests on these lands?
Through Weaving Belonging (a project as part of the CreateSpace Public Art Residency), Aaniya amplifies personal narratives that span diverse positionalities (Indigenous voices rooted in this land, those from distant shores, immigrants seeking new beginnings, settlers laying down roots, and refugees in search of sanctuary). Each perspective brings a unique lens to the conversation about belonging, negotiating aspects of identity, history, and shared experience on unceded territories. Weaving Belonging was a collaborative endeavour, featuring stories and artwork by Aaniya, Chief Janice George, Buddy Joseph, Sussan Yáñez, Antje Ellermann, Gloria Tsui, Elmir Ismayilov, and Valentina Voloshko.
Weaving Belonging includes the weaving of a placemat that acts as a testament to our interconnected lives. This community-engaged project invites dialogue and introspection about belonging, the functions of memory, and how we’re shaped by our relationships to each other and the land. As Aaniya shares, “It’s a dynamic, evolving process, enriched by every new participant who shares a story.”
Weaving Belonging is a call to reckon with the past, engage with the present, and envision a future where we’re active participants in the ongoing process of reconciliation.
Weaving Belonging Community Engagement
The public was invited to take part in community workshops led by Aaniya. This included a storytelling session where the artist shared collected stories and encouraged participants to deepen their understanding of various perspectives on the land.
An outdoor collaborative weaving activity followed–together, participants wove large strips of canvas to create a placemat that reflected the shared stories and fostered a sense of co-creation and community. The public was also invited to the exhibit viewing and closing reception.
About the Artist
Aaniya Asrani
Artist-in-residence
Aaniya Asrani is an interdisciplinary artist, graphic designer, and visual storyteller from Bangalore, India. Currently, she is an uninvited visitor on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Nations – where she is nurturing a community-engaged art practice.
Her art practice spans a range of mediums, and investigates social, political, and cultural systems in order to critique and question existing injustices. The work she undertakes has the ultimate goal of facilitating empathy across diverse communities and systemic disparities to catalyse small actions of change.
Funders
The CreateSpace Residency is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment. We also acknowledge the support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation with funding provided by the Government of Canada.
Weaving Belonging is also generously supported by UBC’s Center for Migration Studies, The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Canada First Research Excellence Fund, Bridging Divides, and Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House.
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