Concordia artist-in-residence builds a sealskin spacesuit

Seal Fur & Seal Skin Products

When Jesse Tungilik was a child, his mother made him traditional caribou hunting clothes. While wearing the bulky, heavy handmade outfit, he often imagined that he was in a spacesuit. “That memory stuck with me when I heard about this opportunity here at Concordia, with its future-themed focus, and the two ideas met in the middle,” Tungilik says. Tungilik, an interdisciplinary artist who lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut, was invited to be an artist-in-residence at Concordia from February to May. The offer came from the Initiative for Indigenous Futures and the Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership — SSHRC partnerships to make artwork responding to the idea of Inuit futurisms. The residency received further support from the Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology and the Faculty of Fine Arts as a Concordia in-residence appointment. Tungilik knew Heather Igloliorte, associate professor of art history and special advisor to the provost on Advancing Indigenous Knowledges, for a number of years.

Jesse Tungilik: “Inuit are definitely capable of getting into these fields and succeeding.” | Images courtesy of the artist

News Article Courtesy of Concordia University