Faces of Antyx: Jordan
We’re so excited that Jordan is joining us for our upcoming Loop Genesis Sculpture Project! Their experience and expertise are invaluable to this project and we’re thrilled to share a glimpse of their story with you all.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself!
A: My name is Jordan (they/she/he). I'm a 2.5 generation Filipinx queer non-binary artist and community worker. I serve as General Director of Chromatic Theatre and work with that team to incubate and support racialized artists in telling their stories. I also do a lot of work in support of collective efforts around anti-racism, equity and decolonization. As an artist I find myself using words a lot, and am deeply interested in the intersection of race, queer identity, food, ritual and magic.
Q: How did you find your passions and how have you incorporated them into what you do?
A: Like many queer racialized folx who grew up in diaspora, a rich and colourful inner world is how I survived the many dehumanizing aspects of the world around me. I think I am who I am because of days, weeks and months I spent with my Lola, who along with my parents and family helped me find satisfaction and healing in expressing that inner world. As an adult, I've found that there is nothing more profound than listening to the voice of my own inner child and my inner Lola.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish by being a part of the Loop project?
A: My role in the project is to witness and there are a lot of beautiful things that come with that to make me feel really grateful. I get to offer an outside eye to the other artists and the overall project, and ask questions to keep us curious about how we create the best conditions for young people with complex identities to explore, play and share deeply in a safe/accountable environment. More than that, I get to listen to and hold space for stories, ideas, reflections and dreams. I'll be very happy if all of the youth and artists and coordinators could express some of the beauty and vastness of their inner worlds through this project.
Q: What does the Loop project mean to you?
A: I was born in Calgary and have lived here for more than three decades, but it was only until I began to understand this place as Mohkinstsis and Treaty 7 that I started to feel any connection to a sense of place on this land as a racialized settler. I love that this project centers around the perspectives and ways of knowing of Indigenous people, because I feel strongly that the true (i.e. not colonial) vision of the treaty sees us all in right-relation not only with each other, but with the land and all living things. When we are aligned to that vision, the stories we tell, the art that we make and our very bodies become catalysts for abundance, transformation and true community care. Creativity and imagination are the best ways for youth to claim that powerful potential for themselves.
Q: What connection do you have to your art?
A: It's taken me a long time to let go of a very eurocentric notion of art-making that is individualistic and product-focused, and where the privilege of getting to call yourself a serious (re: professional) artist means navigating institutions and markets for validation. As a racialized queer non-binary person, I've learned there is nothing more radical than for me to simply try to be my whole self. In my culture we have a beautiful concept called kapwa, which sees individual identity as expressed through connection and harmony with a community: "we relate therefore we are". So my "art" is when my mind and body work together to manifest a capacity to imagine myself and feel at home in my own skin, but also when I enact my most intimate accountability to both myself and to others.
Q: What has been one of your favourite projects that you’ve been a part of?
A: A shadow puppet play called The Darkness Dear that myself and a fun group of artists created in Alia's garage and backyard as part of the Hibernation Project. Our process was based around play so there was a lot of room for us all to be ourselves. While we were developing the piece it often felt like everything was so random and would never come together, until it just did when we shared with close friends and community one crisp spring evening. It's amazing what you can do just with tarpaulin and an open fire.
Q: What has been the biggest opposing force that you encountered on your creative journey?
A: White supremacy, colonialism and patriarchy. I know for many people, myself included, these are overwhelmingly complex concepts. However, while we often feel most comfortable talking about creativity in deeply personal, esoteric or purely aesthetic terms, the material conditions created by those systems create very real barriers for all of us to access our imaginations and our ability to witness one another. A critical awareness of systems can be just as powerful for making art as training in technique and aesthetics, and we cannot ignore that a great many people do not have fair access to either simply because of the way those systems treat them.
Q: What is your biggest motivation?
A: In no particular order: food, pleasure and connection <3
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A: "The snow melts in the spring"
Q: What is your dream project or goal?
A: I would love to live a peaceful, simple life with a community where everyone takes care of and affirms one another. It would also be awesome if there could be amazing dance parties every week, and lots of braising, deep frying, roasting, basting and the licking of lips. Is that too much to ask for?