Issues

Remind Them

In Issue 1: In Transit

Shama Saleh

Colour: forever reside in my blood will keep me on holy ground colour that lived war inside of her. War: the goodbye kisses, tangible on cheek three years on nothing left to go back too. Hom... Read more

Two Movements

In Issue 1: In Transit

Taylor Small

I From the terrace before six I see a train crossing, Three cars long⁠—“That’s it?” Passing in no time at all. I linger for the evening commuter; longer, heavier, humi... Read more

A Plate Away

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Tyra Forde

Listen to Tyra read from her piece: Textile · Tyra Forde - A Plate AwayMy grandparents have lived in the same three-bedroom house in Cambridge since they immigrated to Canada from Bridgetown, Barbado... Read more

Skin Color Pencil Crayon

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Marina Wada

As a kid who loved art time in elementary school, I’d get psyched and messy with vibrant colors, textures, and liquids. So much so that I barely noticed the glittery yellow, blue, and pink that stai... Read more

Policing the Pandemic

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Niara van Gaalen Seemab Zahra Yasmeen Nematt Alla Tomi A. Ryan Antooa

When the first wave of COVID-19 in March 2020 set off emergency orders in Ontario, police departments were given increased powers to enforce public health measures that called for self-isolation and physical distancing. Neighbours were also encouraged to police each other through the use of “snitch-lines”, and an expanded state of surveillance was assumed as a new normal. This deepened pre-existing police presence and control in neighbourhoods where more poor, Black, Indigenous, and immigrant communities live. KW Article Club, a reading group and art collective based in Waterloo Region, informed by work from local and international Black activists and organizers, sought to address these structural inequities in March 2020 through a zine titled #PolicingThePandemic. The following feature is an adapted version of that zine that adds two pieces that delve into the impact policing has on Black people, making a case for why we continue to strive towards a future where we prioritize care instead of enforcement. Read more

The Screen is a Portal

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Mélika Hashemi

Especially while in self-isolation, screens—whether windows or devices —have become a portal for connecting us with the world beyond our domestic walls. The screen that we choose determines how we... Read more

Tiles

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Dewe'igan Bearfoot Olivia Maine

For Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, the pandemic deepened pre-existing inequities. The aid that settler-colonial systems offered did not account for (or value) the importance of physical and spiritual spaces for Indigenous communities. Locally, urban Indigenous youth who were just beginning to learn about their culture were suddenly denied access to spaces they needed in order to be in relationship with each other and with the land. Building relationships with the land and with each other in a face-to-face way is an important part of reconnection and healing; removing these connections deeply impacted Indigenous youth and made it necessary to adapt art projects accordingly. To navigate this, Textile supported Pins and Needles Fabric Company, an Indigenous inter-arts company in Waterloo Region, in co-designing an art program with Indigenous youth. Through online talking circles and in-person meetings with appropriate physical distancing, youth considered the following questions: How is Indigeneity (re)claimed or denied during this pandemic? How does physical distancing and self-quarantine impact relationships to the land and to the community? Based on conversations on how youth wanted to express themselves, participants were delivered art-kits containing supplies to make tile art on wood panels to respond to these questions. The following feature shares artwork from two of the seven youth who engaged in this program. Read more

Sidewalk Courage

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Niara van Gaalen

1 My sister is an athlete. She is also a Black teenager living in a townhouse complex. Not the kind where well-to-do young people pay condo fees, but the kind where the kitchen counters are laminate a... Read more

Steal Myself Back

In Issue 2: Space(s)

DIJAH

CN: mention of blood, colonizers’ names, assimilation, Transatlantic captive trade, hostility to the land Textile · DIJAH - Steal Myself Back (Issue II Soundscape)This soundscape is a collab betwee... Read more