The Unacknowledged
The Remai Modern presented The Unacknowledged at The Saskatoon Symphony Office at 408 20th Street West, Saskatoon
The Unacknowledged is an ongoing, multi-faceted project by Linda Duvall that focuses on deceased individuals whose bodies have gone unclaimed. Due to the person’s situation at the time of death, there is no funeral, no obituary, and no celebration of life. While it can be easy to make assumptions about the circumstances and decisions that lead to this, the reasons are complex and each story is unique. The Unacknowledged allows for the recognition of the lives and deaths of these anonymous men and women, who are a vital part of our families and our communities.
It is important to clarify that they have not died under criminal circumstances. And they are not unidentified by the institution. Rather, they are individuals whose bodies are not claimed after death. The institutions in which these people die or to which they are taken after death are required to dispose of their bodies. This is an issue that affects every part of Canada, but in different ways. Because of the mobility from province to province, available resources and climatic issues, people from cities like Saskatoon and Edmonton and other more northern towns often leave their families and support structures and end up as unclaimed in more southern locations like Toronto and Vancouver. We are all affected by this situation.
While I have researched and framed this issue within a Canadian context, this is a much broader phenomenon. For example, New York City’s Hart Island currently has over one million unclaimed bodies interred there.
For this project, each participant took on the task of acknowledging one of these people who have been unclaimed at death. They had no specific information except for the gender and the naming convention used by the hospitals – John Doe # 24, Jane Doe # 86.
Participants:
Allan Stonechild acknowledged John Doe 297
Astrida Ezergailis acknowledged Jane Doe 27
Barbara Sternberg acknowledged Jane Doe 324
Bruce Russell acknowledged John Doe 253
Conrad Slippery acknowledged Jane Doe 389
Deanna Streete acknowledged John Doe 90
Garcia Bartley acknowledged John Doe 210
Heather Greaves acknowledged John Doe 123
Helyn Fisher acknowledged John Doe 367
Henry Cyr acknowledged John Doe 318
Jacqueline Bouchard acknowledged John Doe 388
Jan Rothenburger acknowledged John Doe 77
Johanne Pulker acknowledged John Doe 286
Kathy Elsworthy acknowledged John Doe 187
Linda Duvall acknowledged Jane Doe 343
Lois Klassen acknowledged John Doe 131
Lois Zacharias acknowledged Jane Doe 14
Natalia Fialho Bravo acknowledged Jane Doe 41
Nikki and Emilee Sudore acknowledged John Doe 78
Peter Kingstone acknowledged John Doe 276
Phyllis Gordon acknowledged Jane Doe 78
Robin Pacific acknowledged John Doe 89
Rowan Starr acknowledged John Doe 139
Shane Partridge acknowledged John Doe 239
Sky Starr acknowledged Jane Doe 281
Steven Smith acknowledged John Doe 45
Tina Van Dyke acknowledged Jane Doe 01
Yvette & Amanda Gratton acknowledged Jane Doe 08
These were displayed from June 21 – July 3, 2016
For the musical presentation of The Unacknowledged, Duvall has been in dialog with different communities and faith groups about how they approach death. These ceremonies, rituals, music, and food customs were incorporated into a commemoration event featuring diverse participants, each honouring an unclaimed person. While these gestures reflect the background and personal beliefs of the participants, together they reflect on our shared social bonds and the vulnerability and fragility of all lives. By naming the unclaimed in a shared public context, The Unacknowledged recognizes that there are people in our community without family supports, either through estrangement, geographical distance, containment in institutions, and other complicated situations.
http://remaimodern.org/pre-launch-programs/projects/linda-duvall-unacknowledged
https://thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/local-arts/art-project-to-address-unclaimed-bodies
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Art project to address unclaimed bodies
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Published Jun 20, 2016 • Last updated Jun 03, 2020 • 1 minute read
A diverse group of more than 30 people hope to honour Jane and John Does in a project presented by the Remai Modern Art Gallery of Saskatchewan. The Unacknowledged was inspired by anonymous individuals whose bodies have gone unclaimed.
Organized by Saskatoon artist Linda Duvall, the project includes a series of panels made by everyone from poets and filmmakers to lawyers and health-care workers. The Unacknowledged also includes a multi-faith event and an artist’s talk. All aspects are free and open to the public.
The project is part of the Remai Modern’s summer pre-launch programming.
“In this thoughtful and inclusive project, Linda Duvall examines complex social issues, embraces contributions by a number of collaborators, and encourages public input,” Sandra Guimaraes, Remai Modern’s director of programs and chief curator, said in a release.
Working with collaborators, Duvall hopes to address the reasons bodies might be unclaimed and the anonymity and silence around the issue.
The panels will be on view from June 21 to July 3. A multi-faith memorial event will be hosted on June 25 at 3 p.m. Representatives from different local faith groups and communities will present elements related to their own customs around death, from ceremonies to food. An artist’s talk with Duvall will take place June 28 at 7 p.m. All events take place at the SSO office at 408 20th St. West. The SSO office is open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.