Anchored by Earth to Starlight: Decolonising Relationship to Sky

Abstract

The brilliance of the night sky has inspired and intrigued humanity throughout all time, all civilizations, all cultures. It is woven into our survival and vibrancy – mind, body, heart, and spirit – as the human species. The sky transcends space, connecting us to other worlds like a portal. Sky transcends time, connecting us two-legged across past, present, and future. And yet because of the history of colonization, most people in the US who look up at the stars see and know only one system. This single story has been promoted as the only story and is rooted in Western European cultures or the so called ‘Greek system’ of constellations and cosmological philosophies. Presented here will be an overview of an art installation called ‘Anchored to Earth by Starlight – Decolonizing Night Sky’ which is part of a group show called ‘Indigenous Survivance’ (St. John’s University, Art Center Gallery, Collegeville, Minnesota, Aug. 29 through Oct. 29, 2022). The multi-layered experiential exhibit features: a cinematic large-scale project embedded with spoken word art, a series of celestial-terrestrial mixed media paintings, and Indigenous star maps. All work is centred around rebuilding relationship with sky. The hope is that in some way this work helps us to change our relationship with the sky, stars, and people. We are often led to believe that maps are subjective and full of facts, but in truth maps are filled with the bias of the map-maker. Decolonization means pulling back the superficial layer and acknowledging the present as a moment in a wave of time that is intricately linked to past and future. Just as an anchor keeps a ship grounded and centred, relationship to night sky gives us hope, strength, and purpose in these challenging times.