Paalaala/Remembrance: 5 Stages of Decolonization
Artist Statement by Jo SiMalaya Alcampo
'Filipino Baby Coney Isand 1905'
Hawaiian sovereignty activist Hayden Burgess, who also uses the Hawaiian name Poka Laenui, wrote an essay, "Processes of Decolonization" in which he suggests five stages of decolonization: Recovery, Mourning, Dreaming, Commitment, and Action. The first stage of decolonization involves a process of rediscovery and recovery. Laenui writes that, "this phase sets the foundation for the eventual decolonization of the society" (152). During this phase, those who have suffered the consequences of colonialism begin to question their assumed place as inferior to the dominant culture. The individual begins to rediscover their indigenous history and recovers lost aspects of their culture such as language and traditions. Laenui states that, "the natural outgrowth of the first phase is the mourning - a time when a people are able to lament their victimization" (154).
The third phase of decolonization involves the vital task of dreaming. Laenui believes that dreaming is the most crucial phase in the process of decolonization. It is the stage in which "the full panorama of possibilities are expressed, considered through debate, consultation, and building dreams on further dreams which eventually becomes the flooring for the creation of a new social order" (155). This restructuring involves reassessment of existing institutional power structures and expanding our worldviews and shifting our paradigms to make a better world for all nations. Laenui's fourth phase of decolonization involves committing to your dreams and making the decision to make them reality. The final phase of decolonization is the action phase. Laenui explains that consensus on which issues to commit to must occur in the fourth phase before the action phase can follow (158).
Paalaala/Remembrance: 5 Stages of Decolonization is a mixed media installation that includes a 16mm film loop, sound art and an interactive video projection. It is the "action phase" of my ongoing exploration of Philippine history and focuses on the experience of Filipinos at the 1904 St. Louis World Fair. The event commemorated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. The fair lasted seven months and was held in St. Louis, Missouri. It featured human exhibitions of tribal peoples from 50 nations including over 1,000 Filipinos. The 47-acre, Philippine Reservation was one of the largest and most frequently visited displays and the most popular "attraction" were the Igorot people indigenous to the mountains of northern Luzon.
The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and other spectacles were intended to mark American's progress as a nation and introduce native customs from around the world. It was a deliberate strategy to portray indigenous people as "primitive savages" that required governance by "civilized" global powers. This served as a justification for Kipling's poem, "The White Man's Burden" and the United State's purchase of the Philippines from Spain in 1898 for $20 million dollars. With this act, America expanded its notion of Manifest Destiny beyond the continent, toward the Pacific, and joined England and France as an Imperialist force.
My installation is an offering of Paalaala / Remembrance to my ancestors and a step toward the process of decolonization.
Reference:
Laenui, Poka (Burgess, Hayden F.) “Processes of Decolonization." Reclaiming Indigenous Voice and Vision. Ed. Marie Battiste. Vancouver, BC: UBC Press, 2000. 150-160.
The third phase of decolonization involves the vital task of dreaming. Laenui believes that dreaming is the most crucial phase in the process of decolonization. It is the stage in which "the full panorama of possibilities are expressed, considered through debate, consultation, and building dreams on further dreams which eventually becomes the flooring for the creation of a new social order" (155). This restructuring involves reassessment of existing institutional power structures and expanding our worldviews and shifting our paradigms to make a better world for all nations. Laenui's fourth phase of decolonization involves committing to your dreams and making the decision to make them reality. The final phase of decolonization is the action phase. Laenui explains that consensus on which issues to commit to must occur in the fourth phase before the action phase can follow (158).
Paalaala/Remembrance: 5 Stages of Decolonization is a mixed media installation that includes a 16mm film loop, sound art and an interactive video projection. It is the "action phase" of my ongoing exploration of Philippine history and focuses on the experience of Filipinos at the 1904 St. Louis World Fair. The event commemorated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. The fair lasted seven months and was held in St. Louis, Missouri. It featured human exhibitions of tribal peoples from 50 nations including over 1,000 Filipinos. The 47-acre, Philippine Reservation was one of the largest and most frequently visited displays and the most popular "attraction" were the Igorot people indigenous to the mountains of northern Luzon.
The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and other spectacles were intended to mark American's progress as a nation and introduce native customs from around the world. It was a deliberate strategy to portray indigenous people as "primitive savages" that required governance by "civilized" global powers. This served as a justification for Kipling's poem, "The White Man's Burden" and the United State's purchase of the Philippines from Spain in 1898 for $20 million dollars. With this act, America expanded its notion of Manifest Destiny beyond the continent, toward the Pacific, and joined England and France as an Imperialist force.
My installation is an offering of Paalaala / Remembrance to my ancestors and a step toward the process of decolonization.
Reference:
Laenui, Poka (Burgess, Hayden F.) “Processes of Decolonization." Reclaiming Indigenous Voice and Vision. Ed. Marie Battiste. Vancouver, BC: UBC Press, 2000. 150-160.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
Outer and Inner Space - a group show curated by Jacob Korczynski and Serena Lee. With work by Jo SiMalaya Alcampo, Liam Crockard, Mark Pellegrino, Megan Rooney, Brad Tinmouth, and Matthew Williamson at XPACE Cultural Centre - as part of the Images Festival (Toronto) April 3 to 18, 2009.
Outer and Inner Space - a group show curated by Jacob Korczynski and Serena Lee. With work by Jo SiMalaya Alcampo, Liam Crockard, Mark Pellegrino, Megan Rooney, Brad Tinmouth, and Matthew Williamson at XPACE Cultural Centre - as part of the Images Festival (Toronto) April 3 to 18, 2009.
Read an essay about Outer and Inner Space:
| outer-and-inner-space.pdf |
This writing is under Creative Commons License
Images courtesy of XPACE and friends (click on images for slideshow)
