Past that Echoes in the Present

Image Description: Close-up shot of two figures with their backs together, leaning their heads backwards to rest on the other’s shoulders. Their faces are turned toward each other while their hands caress the other’s hair. Feature image is from the piece ‘Mine’ which can be viewed as part of the exhibition video shown below.

“Past that Echoes in the Present” is a collection of film works that support the research and development of the collective’s second full length work: “ORIGINS/How Do We Coexist?”, which is a dance/movement, theatre, visual media, immersive exploration into a past that leaves echoes in the present. Immigrant Lessons dives into their unique stories, and journey through intersections of identity, to uncover the similarities, together through the mediums of:
dance, theatre, voice, spoken word, visual media, and archives of the memories passed down… they examine the cycles of such topics as; immigration, systemic/intersectional oppression, colonialism/imperialism, colourism, generational trauma: and the ripple of how they affect the ways we interact in the present. How do we sift away the debris of generations ago? How do we stand in the truths of how it has affected us in the present? How do we hold space for one another as we peel back the layers of traumas passed down? How do we coexist?

Immigrant Lessons

Artist Names: Kevin Fraser, Sophia Gamboa, Simran Sachar, Sevrin Emnacen-Boyd, Joshua Cameron, Hayden Pereira, Tegvaran Singh-Sooch

Established in 2016, Immigrant Lessons is a Vancouver- based, international multidisciplinary arts collective. Immigrant Lessons shifts and morphs, honouring change and transition, investigation and rebellion. Immigrant Lessons’ exists in multiplicity as an arthouse, Research/creation Lab, youth artist incubator, interdisciplinary performance troupe, which utilizes and explores the mediums of: dance/movement, theatre, film, photography, spoken word, creative writing, music, fashion, visual media, and visual design. This collective creates, plays, and currently is based on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. As underground artists and street dancers, The Collective would also like to express deep love and gratitude for the innovations of black and latinx communities and black culture for the gifts they have given to this world. The collective is directed/founded by Queer Black multidisciplinary artist, Kevin Fraser. It’s core artistic associates include: Sophia Gamboa, Sevrin Emnacen-Boyd, Simran Sachar, Joshua Cameron, Tegvaran Singh, and Hayden Pereira. In addition to its core members, Immigrant Lessons’ regularly brings in guest mentors, collaborators, and interpreters for its umbrella of work, research, exploration, and collaborations. With a shared love of movement and art, Immigrant Lessons incorporates their extensive street dance/underground arts background, experimental practice, contemporary ideology, multidisciplinary skill set, and the investigation of societal norms and intersections to give voice and visibility to marginalized and oppressed communities/individuals. Immigrant Lessons aims to: heal, inspire, excite, inform, motivate, and uplift.

And coming soon from Immigrant Lessons:
“LOUD”, a 45 minute dance/theatre/music film will premiere as part of Vancouver International Children’s Festival, June 2021
“ORIGINS/How Do We Coexist” will premiere as part of Dancing On The Edge Festival in July 2021

Director: Kevin Fraser

Artist Statement:

As the creative director of art/activist collective, “ Immigrant Lessons” and the Co founder queer art collective “ The Coven”, Kevin Frasers’ mission and dream is to create more opportunities for marginalized and oppressed communities, giving youth platforms to foster their creativity, as well examining decolonial art practice to uplift, connect, and heal communities. His art practice, studies, and interests encompass: reimagining how different cultures and communities collide, the duality between the preservation and evolution of culture through movement, fashion, music, and discourse with cultural leaders/reconnecting to history/ and cultural immersion, investigating and dismantling Eurocentric ideas of creating work/ high art vs low art/ the body as a political vessel/the witnessing of art and work created by QT-BIPOC individuals and communities, as well as how do we reshape how we hold space for the lived experience in particular to underrepresented, marginalized and oppressed communities, Immigrant Lessons is currently taking part in the “ We Are Multitudes” creative residency a The Massey Theatre/The Anvil Centre facilitated by Jessica Schneider, Khari McClelland, and Justine A. Chambers. Kevin Fraser would like to acknowledge and express gratitude to Justine Chambers as primary mentor to himself and the collective for this residency process and hopefully beyond!

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CMHC Granville Island Exhibition (May 24th – 31st)

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