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Diane + Mike Photography
HYPERVISIBLY INVISIBLE: LISTENING TO COLONIAL LEGACIES

first performed on July 20, 2018
Stephen Avenue Walk, Calgary, Canada
performed once in 2018

CATRON BOOKER

Chicago, IL / Mexico City, Mexico

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HYPERVISIBLY INVISIBLE: LISTENING TO COLONIAL LEGACIES
CATRON BOOKER

In this action, I walked through historic passageways of Calgary to listen to present- day markers of invisible labor as legacies of colonial exploitation. What is the sound of the pulse of these memories still palpable and ever-present? Over the course of an hour, I walked using a stethoscope to listen for the actual heartbeat of Calgary, a city with deep ties to oil and mineral extraction worldwide. The most connected moments were when I was able to share in rich conversations with community groups such as a transnational labor rights group working to secure the conditions of workers who migrate between the United States and Canada for seasonal employment. This experience marks the beginning of a series I am developing regarding the post-colonial legacies of labor, gender, race, and migration specifically as it relates to Black Diaspora across the Americas. This performance action was created while in residence at the Wreck City Residency based in Calgary.