The Heart in Conflict with Itself
Libby Hague. Woodcut installation. 102 x 78 in. 2020.
The Heart in Conflict with Itself is a woodcut installation set in the Canadian Arctic when European and Inuit people first met. These encounters would transform the land, the animals, and everyone involved.
I interject into the humbling sweep and beauty of an Arctic landscape micro-narratives from British ship journals and Inuit oral sources to show the divergent perspectives of newcomers and Indigenous peoples. Both sources reveal assumptions and prejudices the authors didn’t think to conceal because they were unaware of them themselves.
I particularly admire Captain Parry, a generally open minded and curious man. He introduced himself through music and dance, and the Inuit reciprocated. He also brought British class assumptions and the cruelty of their naval discipline. I focus on both: the dancing and the flogging of a shaman for the theft of a shovel. The misunderstanding this caused is indicative of the challenges presented by linguistic and cultural barriers.
The conflicted heart of my title represents the best and worst inclinations of human beings, visible in these first encounters. Tolerance does not come naturally. Canada's multicultural challenge is to find sufficient common ground to hold together while encouraging the immigration and diversity that is our strength.