A still from AmalgamationA
deeper meaning of Native American culture, specifically Native American women and gender – sexuality – and history.
with affect. In my films I am inspired by that notion of “ incontrovertible truth”, particularly of master narratives that produce representations of Native North American Indigenous people with veracity. From this, the social themes that I explore with personal sensibilities are working heavily with layers of abstract sounds and images to create a space that tells stories. The audience, or viewer, is presented with a collage of emotions which are signified by sound and visual. While many might appreciate and relate to the mixed and non-linear narrative, many will not relate at all – but it is my hope that from those valuable moments of not understanding, one will ask questions and begin to feel the complexities of the stories that the films are created to represent. For me, the genre of experimental documentary allows for a felt analysis, which creates a context for a more complex “telling,” one that illuminates the
Your work Because of Who I Am is focused on Native American communities. How did you come up with the idea for this experimental documentary? Ultimately, the aesthetic and idea for Because of Who I Am is inspired by the multifaceted story of a brave and creative woman, who is also an artist that I really admire. My focus on Native American communities comes from my own mixed race ethnicity whereas I am a member of the Ojibwe Nation on my mother’s side. Because of Who I Am is part of a larger project that is inspired by the photographs W. E. B. Du Bois compiled for the American Negro Exhibit at the 1900 Paris Exposition.
49