The idea of home is adaptable, meaning many things to many people. It also has meaning to other mammals, birds, reptiles and insects who construct their dwellings instinctually, by way of hereditary genetic knowledge. As humans, we wrap our inherited culture and traditions around us in the form of structures, as well as with objects that are functional, decorative or both. Our structures—and what we place in them—buffer us from the elements, and provide an emotionally imbued space inside of which we gather together.

The current exhibition at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), ᐊᖏᕐᕋᒧᑦ / Ruovttu Guvlui / Towards Home, poses questions around what home is, and for whom. It considers how Indigenous concepts as well as Indigenous design—from inspiration and aesthetic to process and construction—offer considerations that can, in the words of the curators, “support northern Indigenous forms of sovereignty shaped by an understanding of home.” The collaborative curatorial project between Indigenous and Settler curators (Joar Nango, Taqralik Partridge, Joceyln Piirainen, and Rafico Ruiz) acknowledges that “the work of deepening architecture’s engagement with Indigenous designers and their communities needs to above all centre the knowledge and experiences of being at home on the land.” The exhibition is also part of the CCA’s commitment to a “living land acknowledgement,” an initiative that takes the form of discussions, research, and installations that work towards “fostering affirmative relationships with Indigenous and other peoples across Tiohtià:ke / Mooniyang / Montréal” and beyond.

Read full article on Canadian Architecture Magazine.

Image: Leah Snyder