“Bread and Roses: Can you see us?” is an original performance created by visual artist and labour organizer Tricia Robinson Illustration (she/her) and poet and social justice activist Laura Doyle Péan (they/them). This collaborative performance tackles topics of invisibilized labour, union work, collective liberation and the importance of solidarity in the face of intersecting social crises. Building on their decade of community organizing experience within the labour, racial, social and climate justice movements, the two tiohtià:ke/mooniyang (Montréal) based artists attempt to shine light on forms of labour that are too often hidden and devalued.
Live on stage, Tricia will create original visual artwork in several mediums as Laura Doyle Péan recites some of their moving poetry with themes of domestic and care labour, activism, unions, and freedom. The conception of Tricia’s art pieces will be projected onto a screen, allowing the audience to witness her creation process live and close up. The projection of her work will serve to honour the labour and care that goes into creating illustrations, embroideries and linocuts, hence putting emphasis on our understanding of art as labour, as well as pridefully using mediums that have such a rich history within liberation and activist movements. Unapologetically feminist and pro-worker, Tricia and Laura, with care and devotion, are using this performance as a way to open conversations about the labour movement and unionism as a whole, and the importance of recognizing forms of labour that have historically been undervalued, criminalized, and disregarded.
