There’s an art to airing one’s grievances in this world and local artist Chad Pratch would like to share it with Kelowna.
He is currently collecting stories on instances of discrimination in the Okanagan for a unique art show funded by the advocacy group OK to Say.
“I find that art has a way of creating a commentary on those things that are deemed unspeakable,” said Pratch, whose known for pushing boundaries.
Pratch staged a number of avant-garde shows around town last year, though is likely best known as the last artist to provide a Dysfunctional Chairs installation for the Kelowna Art Gallery’s multi-year series. To collect material for that piece he asked local residents to donate their unwanted and discarded chairs then produced a sculpture of the collection in the gallery’s inner courtyard.
The topic at hand this time is discrimination, and the artist says he wants to hear from anyone who feels they have been discriminated against or has witnessed discrimination of any kind—whether it be for a physical or mental disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or any other reason.
“(People’s comments) are going to be a resource I can tap into for an overarching story that I am going to write. So the story is going to be like a screenplay, but the screenplay is written for more of a natural occurrence.”
Pratch plans to make cartoon-style drawings of the stories he hears and then stage the performance piece he’s writing at an art opening of the images. During the opening, actors will be placed within the audience and perform from a script telling the tale of the incidents depicted on the walls.
The actors will only interact with one another, giving those who attend the freedom to look critically at what’s happening without concern of being caught in the action.
“We wanted to do something edgy,” said Joyce Brinkerhoff, board member for OK to Say, a locally-based non-profit. “He was a little bit on the edge and appealed to a bit younger demographic. A lot of times our stuff was either for children or older adults, so we wanted to attract more of the young professional crowd.”
Brinkerhoof says people often don’t realize what they say or do is discriminatory and noted that an alternative forum like this art project can showcase that behaviour and offer pause for thought without pointing fingers.
“It’s similar to that movie—The Help,” she said, referencing Kathryn Stocket’s tale of life in the maid’s world during the American Civil Rights Movement. “You kind of go: Oh, those horrid people as you watch it, and yet, they didn’t think what they were doing was something horrid at all.”
OK to Say, www.oktosay.ca, has been operating in the Okanagan for a couple of years now, helping suss out incidents of racism and discrimination. It offers a place to report incidents of racism and provides information on racism and discrimination and avenues to respond to the issue.
The artist is targeting the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed annually on Mar. 21, for the show. Any information provided will only be discussed anonymously.
Those who has a story to share with Pratch can contact him by email at chadpratch@hotmail.com or phone at (250) 869-7249.
jsmith@kelownacapnews.com
