Chrysalis, The Altar, and Performance (English)

Crip Collective (Kaia Arrow, Lilah Hill, Jasmine Noseworthy Persaud, Cleopatria Peterson, terra Mitchell-Baisden, Maya Morgan, Pree Rehal, Yvonne Winter)

A brightly colored fabric sculpture hangs from the ceiling next to an altar and TV screen. In a large hallway, a brightly colored fabric sculpture hangs from the ceiling next to an altar and TV screen. Starting from our left is the fabric sculpture, then the exhibition text titled, “Chrysalis, The Altar, and Performance.” All text is in Anishinaabemowin, English, and French above a black reader rail with braille. Next on the right, is an altar with a blue cloth and small items. Hung above and slightly overlapping the altar is a TV screen with a pair of headphones hanging underneath the right corner.

Chrysalis

Crip Collective, 2023, machine and hand-sewn textiles, fabric paint, fabric masks, materials from Amelia’s RV Nelson’s personal archive, and mixed media, 1.5 x 1.5 meters

Images

Guided Tactile Descriptions

Chrysalis

This is a tactile sample of the same fabrics that are in the Chrysalis sculpture. This fabric swatch has 12 different size rectangles, sewn together in six columns. Let’s explore the sample moving from our left to right, column by column. Starting in the lower left hand corner, find the two holes in the fabric. These holes are part of the lacey pattern of this floral green strip. Just to the left of the holes you might be able to find three tiny 3-D flowers. Feel the same texture all the way up that column. When you reach the top edge, move to our right and notice the feeling of the seam as you transition between the two columns. This next column is made from two pieces of fabric. It starts with a silky, smooth, and iridescent purple fabric. Moving below that one, it might be hard to notice the change to the next fabric rectangle because they have a very similar texture. However, this one may feel a little extra slippery and is a bright sparkly pink fabric. Staying along the bottom edge, move to the next column on our right, made from two fabrics. It starts with a scratchy and rough light pink mesh fabric. Directly above that is a silky smooth gold ochre rectangle. Staying along the top edge, move to the next column on our right, which is made from three fabrics. The first is white lace, so it has some very interesting shapes and bumps. Try and find the mesh swoop nestled in between bumpy thick threads. Moving underneath that one, is a small pink silky rectangle. Underneath that one is a second soft small teal rectangle. Staying along the bottom, move to the next column on our right. It is made from two very different size pieces of fabric. The first is a long strip of thin orangey peach cotton fabric, with a medium softness. Right above that, you may be able to feel a very thin strip of silky green fabric. Staying along the top edge, move to the last column on our right. where you’ll find two fabrics. The first is a slippery thin purple fabric with a partially attached decorative flower. The center is sewn down with a rough gold thread making a small bump. The petals are detached and will flop around if you touch them. Below that is another piece of the same white lace fabric that we felt earlier. It also has thin mesh swoops and bumpy thick thread.

The Altar

Maya Morgan, Jasmine Persaud, and Yvonne Winter, 2021-2023, painting: acrylic on canvas, dried flowers, candle, bowl, hand-dyed tablecloth trimmed with crystals, 51 x 89 cm

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Video

Performance

Pree Rehal, 2023, live performance

Installation Details

Created through forced transformation, grief, and anger, Rehal and Hill constructed Chrysalis with locally sourced water-like fabrics. It was painted and adorned by Arrow, Mitchell-Baisden, Peterson, and Winter. Morgan, Noseworthy Persaud, and Winter’s The Altar is a place for grief to rest; offer a name in remembrance. Rehal’s memorialization of personal and collective loss is imparted onto Chrysalis by way of water-soluble embroidery and performance.

Brought together by Rehal, Crip Collective features eight artists with lived experience of being Disabled/Mad/Crip and Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour artists. These works are dedicated to Amelia RV Nelson, a bright, Black, queer, bubbly, chronically ill spoonie artist who passed away in 2022.

About the Artist

A grid of photos of Crip Collective members A grid of photos of Crip Collective members with text at the bottom centre that reads, "Crip Collective". Row one from left to right: Jasmine is smiling with their head resting on their hand. Jasmine is a small fat, mixed Guyanese, genderfluid person with a nose ring. They wear a black hat, black heart choker, and navy plaid shirt. Kaia looks directly into the camera with a close-lipped smile. Kaia is a queer, sick & disabled, Filipina woman with light skin, almond eyes, and a flat nose. Yvonne is a Black person with large, round, orange plastic glasses and matte lipstick. They’re wearing a mauve shirt, with a gray head wrap. Cleopatria is a small fat, mixed Black non-binary trans person. They are smiling with their eyes closed, wearing a sunhat and yellow tunic. Row two from left to right: terra is a tall black, gender-explorative trans person. He has his hand against his cheek as he smiles in front of a large leafy plant, in front of a brick wall. They are wearing a black durag and a brown, white, and burnt orange printed button-up t-shirt. maya is a fat black femme. She sits wearing a black dress and silver earrings with her hair out around her against a light soft background. Pree is a small fat brown person with a short haircut, loose curls, linework tattoos and round metal glasses. They are smiling, looking at the camera and wearing a white sweater vest. Lilah is a white Indigiqueer person with long brown hair and a septum piercing. They are wearing pink eyeshadow and black lipstick with a blue butterfly clip in their hair.