The farming industry is composed of an extensive labour force that is responsible for putting food on our tables. However, this industry’s operations have become increasingly difficult to understand as a complex set of global relations and policies now influence the way that farming is done in Canada, particularly British Columbia.
The film Phulkari: Pieces of Our Shared Stories within the Fields, along with an accompanying art exhibit, created by Rishma Johal, will be screened at Kelowna’s Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m.
Set against a cultural backdrop of vibrant phulkaris (traditionally embroidered scarves), portraits of farmworkers from the Okanagan Valley juxtapose the harsh realities that temporary foreign workers face as a set of dark shadows. The exhibit furthers the film’s critical analysis by questioning policies that dictate who is allowed to become a citizen and who has to return to their country of origin through the evolution of policies that have affected Sikhs and Mexican workers over time.
Following the film, a discussion that will be facilitated by Allison Hargreaves of UBCO’s AlterKnowledge program.
Admission is free and light refreshments will be served. The exhibit will run through Aug. 28 at the Alternator, located inside the Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Ave., in Kelowna’s Cultural District.
