wâpos/wayân/asâkay

Inherited fur, faux fur, artificial sinew

This garment has been constructed using odd pieces and scraps of furs, sewn together completely by hand using artificial sinew. The coat took shape as a garment slowly through the meditative repetition of stitch. The time sewing was spent in contemplation of fur in its many contexts; as connection to animal/natural power, as protection both physical and spiritual, within concepts of wilderness and in particular that of the Canadian wilderness and the pursuits of colonization and nation-forming within the historical context of the fur trade, fur coats within fashion and connections to wealth and glamour, and more. What is humanity’s current relationship with the ‘natural’ world around them, as opposed to the world of the human synthesized? How do ideas of wilderness and survival factor into colonized identities? The rabbit/fur/coat is a piecemeal garment made to protect myself as I wear it, ensuring my own survival through full usage of found and inherited materials.