Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun & Paisley Smith, First Nations
Unceded Territories, 2019
Unceded Territories is a virtual reality experience born out of the collaboration of artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun and filmmaker Paisley Smith, both hailing from Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. The viewer is dropped into an environment steeped in Indigenous aesthetics and music, in which they are encouraged to paint on and design in the world as they see fit. Only in the end are they made aware that their interference has done irreversible damage. This piece serves as an explicit call for environmental justice, specifically in relation to Indigenous rights. Unceded Territories additionally serves as an excellent reminder of the power of creatively expressing environmental justice issues. Yuxweluptun and Smith make adept use of the ability of virtual reality to engage viewers in a way few media can, drawing attention to the intersection of environmental issues and violations of Indigenous rights. Label by Laura Reitze