Edmonton, Alberta

Portage: The Lost Trader

Performance Summary:

The filmic representation of a fur trader is lost in the fountain of Edmonton’s city hall. He paddles in circles around the pool collecting bottled water in search of customers for his newly acquired goods. The trader barters with urbanites, claiming to possess bottles of “pure, pristine, water from the Canadian Rockies”. Join the Lost Trader on his portage to the next body of water.

Biography:

Jason Fielding is an emerging Canadian artist working in new media, performance and painting. Educated at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, BC, Fielding received his Bachelor of Media Arts in 2007. Fielding has been involved in the development of the emerging performance art scene at VIVO Media Arts in Vancouver through his participation in “Pressure to Perform” 2008, and “Network: a performance art fair” 2009. He also works collaboratively on series video productions ranging from video art to promotional web based videos.

Artist Statement:

“Portage: The Lost Trader” references iconic symbols associated with a national corporate infrastructure that relied on vast networks of rivers, lakes, and oceans for the transportation of natural resources to be sold on the global marketplace. Canada is almost entirely navigable by canoe, and it was the ancient waterways that brought furs through the country to the world. “Portage” attempts to address shifts in cultural attitudes towards water; a vital life force with diminishing supplies being utilized for recreational purposes, commerce, and industry.

Performance Date / Time / Location:

Wednesday September 16th / 12- 2pm / 100 St & MacDonald Drive
Thursday September 17th / 12 - 2pm / 100 St & MacDonald Drive

Viewers can see the first part of the performance from the top of the staircase leading down into the river valley from 100 Street. As the Lost Trader reaches the top of the stairs, the audience may follow him to City Hall, where he will finish about 1:30 and remain in one place for about half an hour.

See the full schedule...

Video

From Jason Fielding's first performance, September 16th: