Radical Beauty for Troubled Times: Involuntary Displacement and the (Un)Making of Home

This thesis examines the relationship between forced dislocation and home beautification practices. It is the result of an interdisciplinary approach and an arts-based methodology. At the heart of this work lies a double-interrogation: how is the daily appreciation and manipulation of one’s belongings crucial to the experience of creating home anew following forced dislocation and in what ways do these home beautification practices and the repetition of stylized narratives—and other personal and cultural stories of home and its loss—contribute to the perpetuation of violence in places where home is contested? Home’s properties, associations, and manifestations (or lack-there-of) in the political, cultural, emotional, and embodied realms are investigated using a wide array of materials, including the presentation and analysis of a series of live art events that I convened within the tenure of this cycle of research-creation, historical community pageants, personal stories of home and its loss, as well as salient aspects of housing theory and trauma studies. This research-creation process leads towards the realisation that deliberate attention paid to the material and immaterial cultures of home may either help transform the traumas of displacement or create new ones. And that furthermore, the beautification of one’s home interior and surroundings is heavily involved in the sense-making process of the (un)making of home

Beauty in the built environment and refugee self-reliance

This policy brief explores the often-overlooked impact of purposeful home beautification practices on refugees’ well-being and their potential contributions to the Global Compact on Refugees’ (the Compact) objective of increasing refugee self-reliance. It demonstrates that purposeful home beautification practices among refugees, ranging from physical modifications to daily rituals, not only enhance individual and community well-being but also serve as a tangible means for refugees to exert agency, integrate past and present experiences, and heal from trauma. These acts of beautification, extending from individual homes to community spaces, foster hope, build community bonds, and exhibit resistance and resilience. The brief underscores the integral role of beautification in catalyzing and redefining self-reliance for refugees, challenging conventional frameworks and urging policymakers to recognize refugees as active contributors to their communities rather than passive recipients of aid

Indices fragmentés

"This was a street intervention in two parts: memorial stones and posters as an unofficial response to Montreal's 350 anniversary celebration-- putting into question the issue of lost or silenced memorialization and the claiming of history(ies) Of the nine original markers placed in grassy areas around the City of Montreal, two that I am aware of are still in place." --Publisher's websit

Reprendre le fil de la trame narrative : faire entendre et mobiliser les récits personnels dans la sphère publique

L’oralité (storytelling) en tant que pratique artistique dans le Québec d’aujourd’hui allant à l’encontre des exposés narratifs publics courants, le projet Picking Up the Storylines (« Reprendre le fil de la trame narrative ») interroge les paramètres et les résultats du processus public de la storytelling. La Charte des valeurs québécoises et la Commission de vérité et de réconciliation du Canada y sont relues en parallèle avec le Scar Project (projet Cicatrice), de Nadia Myre, et le travail du Living History Ensemble, dans le contexte du projet Life Stories of Montrealers Displaced by War, Genocide and Human Rights Violations (« Récits de vie de Montréalais et Montréalaises déplacées par la guerre, le génocide et les violations des droits de la personne »). Une telle comparaison appelle une analyse critique en vue de déterminer quand et comment les récits supprimés, ignorés et inédits de personnes marginalisées peuvent contribuer à l’instauration de politiques libératoires.Considering how personal storytelling as art in Quebec today counters prevailing public narratives, Picking up the Storylines questions the parameters and outcomes of the public storytelling process. The Charter of Quebec Values and the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission are read side by side with Nadia Myre’s Scar Project and the Living Histories Ensemble’s work within the context of the Life Stories of Montrealers Displaced by War, Genocide and Human Rights Violations project. Such a comparison invites a critical analysis of just when and how the suppressed, ignored and as-yet-untold stories of the marginalized can contribute to liberatory politics.Debido a que la oralidad como práctica artística en el Quebec de hoy está en contra de las exposiciones narrativas públicas corrientes, Picking Up the Storylines (Reanudar el hilo de la narración) interroga a los parámetros y resultados del proceso público de storytelling. La Carta de Valores de Quebec y la Comisión de la Verdad y de la Reconciliación de Canadá están releídas en paralelo con el Scar Project (Proyecto Cicatriz) de Nadia Myre, y el trabajo del Conjunto de Historias vivas (Living History Ensemble) en el contexto del proyecto de Life Stories of Montrealers Displaced by War, Genocide and Human Rights Violations (Relatos de vida de montrealeses desplazados por la guerra, el genocidio y las violaciones de los derechos humanos). Tal comparación requiere un análisis crítico para identificar cuando y cómo los relatos suprimidos, ignorados y inéditos de personas marginadas pueden contribuir a las políticas liberadoras