For context, Peter Morin is a Tahltan Nation artist currently based in Victoria, BC. His art deals with indigenous identity and language. His 2011 work, “This Song is a Museum”, escapes the mold of western contemporary art in a key way: It depicts a non-visual art visually, while staying true to its roots as indigenous art.
The piece itself was prepared with the assistance of Coast Salish singer Hwieumten. The Vancouver Museum of Anthropology notes: “By using a drumstick covered in black paint, Hwieumten inscribed each of these five elk-skin drums with the act and therefore the memory – of singing.” While this process sounds random and haphazard, its intricacy lies in its cultural roots and purpose: to show the unbridled energy of indigenous music. The singing is what’s being conveyed, in the simplicity of black paint on white drums.
It demands the spectator’s attention: it isn’t a pretty painting, it is a manifestation of indigenous culture. The piece also circumvents the limitations of museums by operating in its own format, as explained by the Museum of Anthropology’s inscription: “The museum has a tendency to lose the singing. The voice connected to the objects becomes hard to reach. I wanted to figure out an indigenous way to document the song using indigenous materials. The drums are a record of his [Hwieumten’s] practice of Indigenous knowledge.” To get the most out of this “visual song”, the spectator must understand the roots of the piece itself: the collaboration between indigenous artists, and the meaning behind its construction (e.g. the initially puzzling splashes of black on the drum). Not to mention, using the drum as a canvas for indigenous expression may fly over the head of many viewers. Without said information, the piece may come across as abstract expressionism, or misunderstood in general. But with it, the art becomes transcendental in nature. To discuss this piece in the context of figurative repatriation, Morin has brought the medium of music, more specifically indigenous singing, to a digestible visual token. By expressing music – a universal medium – in indigenous terms to both native and foreign audiences, figurative repatriation is wholly expressed. Kramer’s vision of a mutual repatriation is realized to the fullest, without artistic compromise or the watering down of materials.
Maxwell’s comment on “This Song Is A Museum” is very accurate in my opinion. When I observed this piece myself in the Museum of Anthropology, I actually thought that it was a piece of abstract art. Before reading the description of the historical and cultural context, I would not have realized that the black ink stains on the drums were there due to the drumstick being covered in paint when being played. I think that Maxwell made a good point in describing how after the context is understood, it is clearer how the meaning of this piece really speaks to the type of indigenous art that is lost in museums; music. Auditory art is not typically something that people can display visually in museums and after fully comprehending this piece, we gain insight on how the artist was able to convey this in a creative manner. I think Maxell also made an interesting point when drawing a connection between the visual representation of indigenous music to both indigenous audiences and foreign audiences because it is a good example of figurative repatriation. This connection also helps reinforce the definition of figurative repatriation described by Kramer.