Indian Act speaks of the realities of colonization—the effects of contact, and its often-broken and untranslated contracts. The piece consists of all 56 pages of the Federal Governments Indian Act mounted on stroud cloth and sewn over with red and white glass beads. Each word is replaced with white beads sewn into the document; the red beads the negative space. Between 1999 and 2002, Nadia Myre enlisted over 230 friends, colleagues and strangers to help her bead over the Indian Act. With the help of Rhonda Meier, they organized workshops and presentations at Concordia University, and hosted weekly beading b’s at Oboro Gallery, where it was presented as part of the exhibition Cont[r]act in 2002.
 
beading b invitation cards
indian act (detail)
indian act (detail)
beading b, mémoires vives, 2002
beading b, mémoires vives, 2002
beading b, mémoires vives, 2002
beading b, mémoires vives, 2002
beading b, mémoires vives, 2002
beading b at oboro gallery, 2000
beading b at oboro gallery, 2000
beading b at oboro gallery, 2001
beading b at oboro gallery, 2001
beading b at oboro gallery, 2001
indian act