| Seeing-eye branches Tanya has written for several independent short films in Canada and her work has been featured in the videopoem Almost Forgot my Bones (2004) in which she is the main performer. She is also featured in a Vancouver Film School documentary about spoken word entitled Speak Up (2002). She can also be seen on several YouTube videos in performance with Mercan Dede. |
| ALMOST
FORGOT MY BONES (2004) Directed by Katrin Bowen Produced by Tara Boire and Katrin Bowen  |
We
define ourselves through
various means -
geography, language, profession - no matter how satisfied we are within
these boundaries, when one moves from a place and settles in another,
there is always a period of re-examination. The poem Almost Forgot my Bones
is about such a re-examination - one in which the narrator comes to
terms with her own discriminations. The words merge the poetic with the
historical, political, colloquial and musical. Add to this
the
dimension of the visual, and the oral poetry goes global, taking the
Socratic classroom to new heights.
The metaphor for community is ‘the mirror’. The narrator must learn that we are all reflections of each other and that what we really seek in others is a pure heart, not only layers of cultural skin. Once the narrator is awakened, she finds pride in her cultural heritage and finds community with the world. See below for the videopoem in full. This popular short film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2004 at the Short Film Corner and has since been shown at festivals in Canada, U.S. and Mexico where it continues to win awards. It was produced through a film grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. |
| Death for Beginners | words, music & visuals by Tanya Evanson |
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