Aatooq means “full of blood” in Kalaallisut, Laakkuluk’s Greenlandic mother tongue. In this film, we explore the spirit of blood - how we ingest it, create it and emit it. We honour blood as our life force.
Ikumagialiit ᐃᑯᒪᒋᐊᓖᑦ (those that need fire) is a performance art band with Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, Cris Derksen, Jamie Griffiths and Christine Tootoo. The Ikumagialiit quartet is egalitarian, bringing together four strong women from different disciplines, across generations. Ikumagialiit's premiere show was a part of Abadakone at the National Gallery of Canada and also played at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto before the pandemic. Aatooq is the quartet's newest work, where the four women pushed themselves to be creative and collaborative despite living in lockdown in three different communities.
Iqaluit, Kangiqlliniq (Rankin Inlet) and Tkaronto
Credits
AATOOQ (Full of Blood)
a film by Ikumagialiit Performance Art Band
Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, Cris Derksen, Jamie Griffiths, Christine Tootoo
Poetry, Performer, Choreography: Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory Composer, Music Production: Cris Derksen Vocals: Christine Tootoo Video Artist: Jamie Griffiths Costumes, Makeup: Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) Consultation: Karla Jessen Williamson Seal hunted by: Davidee Qaumariaq Children in film: Siloah and Siasi Debicki
Many thanks to the Inuit and Indigneous homelands that hold us and the families that love us.
Juno-nominated Cris Derksen is an Internationally respected Indigenous Cellist and Composer. In a world where almost everything—people, music, cultures—gets labelled and slotted into simple categories, Cris Derksen represents a challenge. Originally from Northern Alberta, she comes from a line of chiefs from NorthTall Cree Reserve on her father’s side and a line of strong Mennonite homesteaders on her mother’s. Derksen braids the traditional and contemporary, weaving her classical background and Indigenous ancestry with new school electronics to create genre-defying music.
As composer Derksen has a foot in many worlds, 2019 compositions include Maada’ookii Songlines – a Mass Choral piece for 250 singers Commissioned by Luminato Festival. Rebellion—a short symphony commissioned by the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Iron Peggy – a Theatre piece commissioned by the Vancouver Children’s Festival. A new performance art piece commissioned by the National Art Gallery of Canada, Ikumagiialit. Her 2018 works include the DORA Award for Best Sound Design for Theatre 2018; Kiinalik: these sharp tools, TIFF Premier Biidaaban (the dawn comes) Short Animation Film by Amanda Strong, Ka:hawai Dance Company production of BloodTides, Kamloopa Theatre production, 2018 Banff Centre for the Arts String Quartet Residency White Mans Cattle and Wood Quintet International 5 bucks per head.
As a performer, Derksen performs nationally and internationally solo and with some of Canada’s finest, including Tanya Tagaq, Buffy Sainte Marie, Naomi Klein, and Leanne Simpson, to name a few. Recent destinations include Hong Kong, Australia, Mongolia, Sweden, and a whole lot of Canada—the place Derksen refers to as home.
Finaliste aux prix JUNO, Cris Derksen est une violoncelliste et compositrice autochtone dont le talent brille à l’international. Dans un monde qui se plait à mettre des étiquettes à presque tout – aux gens, à la musique et aux cultures – Cris Derksen fait figure d’électron libre. Dans son arbre généalogique, on retrouve des chefs de la réserve crie de North Tall du côté paternel et de robustes homesteaders mennonites, du côté maternel. Entre traditionnel et contemporaine, cette native du nord de l’Alberta puise dans sa formation classique, ses racines autochtones et l’électronique pour composer une musique radicalement inclassable.
Dans ses compositions, Cris Derksen navigue entre les univers musicaux, elle qui n’aime pas se cantonner dans un seul style. Rien qu’en 2019, elle crée quatre œuvres de commande : Maada’ookii Songlines, une pièce chorale pour 250 interprètes (Festival Luminato), la brève symphonie Rebellion (Orchestre symphonique de Thunder Bay), la pièce de théâtre IronPeggy (Festival des enfants de Vancouver) et enfin une œuvre-performance, Ikumagiialit (Musée des beaux-arts du Canada). En 2018, elle participe à divers projets, notamment la pièce Kiinalik: these sharp tools (prix Dora pour la meilleure conception sonore au théâtre), le court métrage d’animation Biidaaban (the dawn comes) de Amanda Strong présenté en première au TIFF, la production BloodTides de Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, la pièce Kamloopa, et dans le cadre d’une résidence au Centre des arts de Banff un quatuor à cordes, White Mans Cattle, et l’œuvre 5 bucks per head pour quintette à vent.
Sur scène, Cris Derksen se produit dans le monde entier, en solo, ou en collaboration avec des artistes remarquables comme Tanya Tagaq, Buffy Sainte Marie, Naomi Klein, ou encore Leanne Simpson. Son art l’a conduite à travers le monde, notamment à Hong Kong, en Australie, en Mongolie, en Suède et aux quatre coins du Canada, là où elle se sent chez elle.
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