Kiinalik: The Meeting Point

Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh

Presented at Performance Works as part of the PuSh Festival, Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools reconciliates the cultural differences of the two performers – Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, an Inuk artist based in Iqaluit and Evalyn Parry, a theatre-maker from southern Toronto. The artists weave their cultures together through music and dialogue, captivating the audience in their thought-provoking, harmonious, and challenging performance.

The show begins with Bathory’s throat singing which is layered with Parry’s accordion and song about how the two artists met on a ship travelling from Iqaluit to Greenland. The prominently different sounds of the performers are accompanied by Cree cellist, Cris Derksen, and the music comes together in a symbolic union of northern and southern Canada. Though, it soon becomes evident that Parry and Bathory’s experiences on the ship were very different from one another. Parry’s expedition was a chance to realize her folk-singing father’s aspiration to travel through northern Canada. For Bathory, the ship was filled with tourists – a representation of Canada’s continual colonialism. However, it is the meeting point for the two artists. Their journey to Greenland allows Laakkuluk to share stories of her Inuk ancestors with Parry who begins to recognize the unfortunate reality for Indigenous people.

After a monologue by Bathory, the show drastically shifts as she paints her face black and red. Bathory is moaning and laughing maniacally, then she stuffs two small balls in her mouth to swell her cheeks. There is a sense of unease and fear in the theatre as Laakkuluk begins to climb over the audience. She touches herself, screams, moans, and approaches individual spectators standing with her face inches away from theirs. Soon after, she removes her makeup explaining that it is a Greenlandic mask dance called uaajeerneq. Its purpose is to teach people how to deal with fear and encourage everyone to embrace their sexuality. Her explanation allows for the audience to appreciate the values of her culture.

Addressing the unsettling history of Canada, Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools emphasizes the possibility for peace between two people from conflicting cultures. It is through the artists’ compassion and vulnerability within their performance that Parry and Bathory reconcile their differences in a symbolic union.