Immersive installation by Jon Fiddler
“Suspended Histories” is an immersive installation that explores the intersection of memory, cultural history, and the land we inhabit. The Cannibal Lot is situated on a trail route initially used by Métis and First Nations. As settler populations arrived and began hunting bison herds to extinction in order to compromise Indigenous food supplies, the trail was used by buffalo bone traders becoming known among settlers as the Bone Trail. “Suspended Histories” invites participants to literally and metaphorically reconsider their connection to the land beneath them by being inverted in a harness and lowered into a grassland still roamed by bison. By engaging with the scents and sounds of indigenous histories, we can begin to understand how these narratives shape our present and future. The work aims to create a space for reflection, dialogue, and healing, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the cultural histories embedded in the land we share.