This Womxn’s Work: Fashioning a Diaspora

The symposium is a project by Nigra Iuventa, organized in partnership with the Consulate General of France in Quebec City and the Goethe-Institut in Montreal, and made possible thanks to the generous support of the Franco-German Cultural Fund. Curated by Diane Gistal, this event is a testament to the international collaboration between Quebec, France, and Germany. It encourages cultural and intellectual exchanges around the heritage of the Black Atlantic, promoting transnational dialogue.

An intuitive and inclusive curator, theo tyson creates space for conversations about the sociocultural implications of race, class, gender, identity and sexuality through the lenses of fashion, art and culture. tyson’s practice centres historiography that privileges and affirms the authority of the global majority—those previously labelled as underrepresented or marginalized.

Nadia Bunyan is a fashion designer, researcher, and community organizer. She believes we must begin with education and care to see change in the fashion industry and beyond. These core values led her to cofound Growing A.R.C. a nonprofit using the prism of material culture and its fashion systems, to explore activities grounded in the farm-to-closet process.

Beginning with agriculture for textiles and natural dyes, Growing A.R.C. creates activities such as playdates for people to activate, reciprocate and cultivate  their relationships with all beings. The organization reinforces connections to the local environment by focusing on material culture and bioregional design. It also expands the understanding of biodiversity to include the diversity and perspectives of marginalized folks.

Nadia believes to raise awareness about a relational approach to sustainability knowledge and lived experiences must be shared. This is one facet of changing conversations on sustainability to a cultural practice. 

Diane Gistal is a cultural worker and independent curator. As the founder and director of Nigra Iuventa, she works to promote African and diasporic contemporary art. Her curatorial practice takes place at the intersection of visual art, literature and social science. Joining a wider reflection on literary, visual and cinematographic representation of the Black Atlantic (Paul Gilroy), she explores themes of agency, care, joy, utopia and vulnerability.