Bookwork, 2013. Open edition.
Black and white laser accordion book with 2 stapled signatures, 4 × 6.25 inches, 28 pages.
The Skye River divides the rural Cape Breton communities of Whycocomagh and We’koqma’q. This snaking boundary has been witness to a rich and challenging history (and present). why whycocomagh? was my attempt to explore this place–which I called home for two years–and the varied relationships to it. The text is from anonymous interviews with residents who spoke with me about why this place is home for them, what it has and continues to mean, and what they know of the origins of its names. The images that form the accordion of the book are the views (in either direction) from the midpoint of the bridge over the Skye River, as well as the signs on the Trans-Canada Highway that demarcate the boundaries of the village and First Nation.
My deepest thanks to all those who generously shared their thoughts, stories and time for this project.
whywhycocomagh? was my contribution to Undecimals 2013. It was also shortlisted for the AGYU’s 2013 Artist’s Book of the Moment and featured in Stephanie Springgay’s project, The Pedagogical Impulse.