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Susan Schuppli: SOVA Artist-in-Residence Artist Talk
February 26 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Dr. Susan Schuppli is a researcher and artist based in the UK. She is Professor and Director of the Centre for Research Architecture, Goldsmiths University of London and is also an investigative researcher with the human rights agency Forensic Architecture recipient of the 2024 Right Livelihood Award. Susan Schuppli’s fieldwork and documentary film practice is situated at the intersections between environmental struggles, climate science, and affected communities with a contemporary focus on the cryosphere and the politics of cold.
Creative projects have been exhibited throughout Europe, Asia, Canada, and the US. She has published widely within the context of media and politics and is author of the book, Material Witness: Media, Forensics, Evidence published by MIT Press in 2020.
Supported by Yukon School of Visual Arts, the Klondike Institute of Art & Culture (KIAC), YukonU, with funding support from a Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Connections Grant / Toronto Biennial of Art.
OVERVIEW
Dr. Susan Schuppli will be working in collaboration with students from SOVA in Nicole’s 4D Studio class on her project SOUNDING ICE: sensing frozen flows. Via sound and various field recording strategies, the project explores the signals of climate change found in and around the Yukon and Klondike Rivers—their confluences and histories.
The practice of ‘sounding’ refers both to the taking of depth measurements in a body of water as well as the sourcing of ‘evidence’ needed in a preliminary step towards taking action. This project and forthcoming website will document our collective efforts to ‘sound out’ local expressions and histories of the environment—Earth evidence—and its urgent calls to action.
My earlier work as an artist-researcher and writer explored material evidence, specifically the ways in which non-human witnesses, enter into trials and tribunals to testify to historical events, in particular those involving political violence, ethnic conflict, and war crimes. This work assumed many different modes of communication from legal analysis and public advocacy to theoretical reflection and creative exploration. Current research and artistic production expands these investigations to examine how environmental systems and the transformations brought about by global warming are generating new forms of evidence; creating, in effect, a planetary archive of material witnesses.
Learn More About…
Artist In Residence Activities & Outreach
Artist in Residence activities include artist talks, studio tours, interactive events, and more.
Founded in 2001, in a partnership with Parks Canada, the KIAC Artist in Residence Program has welcomed over 300 talented artists, musicians and filmmakers to Dawson City from all regions of Canada and around the world. Our alumni include Sobey Art Award nominees, Western Canada Music Award winners, and prize-winning filmmakers from film festivals across the globe.
Check out the current Artists in Residence
Film Events
Film activities include film screenings, film selections, and more.
KIAC is proud to host an exciting roster of film screenings and film-related events throughout the year, such as the 48 Hour Film Challenge and Dawson City International Short Film Festival, numerous workshops, and other opportunities.
Exhibitions
Exhibition activities include gallery viewing hours, exhibition openings, artist talks, calls for submissions, and more.
ODD Gallery
The ODD Gallery, located in the Dënäkär Zho / KIAC building, presents a wide array of outreach programming including artist talks, openings, lectures, screenings, youth programs and other special events. Gallery programming fosters professionalism and appreciation of regional visual arts practice, and provides the community with exposure and access to a diverse range of contemporary visual arts practices and theories in a remote, northern setting.
Check out the current exhibition
Kids & Youth Programs
Kids & youth activities include: music lessons, art classes, dance classes, book readings, toddler classes, after-school programs.
Year-Round Programming
Kids and Youth (toddler to teen) programming ranges from music lessons (vocals, piano) to dance class (ballet, hip hop, and more), to hands-on workshops (pottery, screen-printing, animation and more) and is offered regularly throughout the year. KIAC strives to subsidize Kids & Youth programs as much as possible via grants and funding. Programming ranges from free Drop-Ins to registered weekly programs.
Youth Art Enrichment
Youth Art Enrichment is an annual four-day art program for Yukon youth hosted by the Klondike Institute of Art & Culture in Dawson City. Artistically-inclined youth ages 14 – 18 travel from across the Yukon to take part in intensive workshops led by professional artists. Students choose one of three mediums to study for the duration of the program, learning new skills, techniques, and ways to creatively make artwork for the world to see. The mediums change every year: we have offered printmaking, animation, painting, carving, stained glass, illustration, improv, and much more over the last two decades.
Learn more about Youth Art Enrichment
Performing Arts
Performing arts activities include: concerts, theatre and dance performances, open mics, radio broadcasts, special events, and more.
KIAC presents a year-round professional performing arts series in the beautiful second floor Ballroom that actively engages our community and provides inspiring performance opportunities for international, national, and regional artists in many disciplines. Our diverse programming includes jazz, classical, folk & roots, experimental, dance, theatre, and more.
Workshops
Workshops include: weekly drop-ins, registered programs, weekend workshops, and more.
KIAC presents a year-round schedule of educational opportunities ranging from drop in programs (pottery, screenprinting, seniors painting, concert band), to registered workshops (dance, music, film, visual art, craft, textiles, etc), to professional development opportunities for artists (grant writing, artwork documentation, etc).
Learn more about registration, upcoming courses, and outreach activities.