More Than a Fashion Show
Fifteen Years of Derelicte
Story by Sidney Ulakovic, Photos by Chad Kirvan
In 1987, acclaimed contemporary artist Rebecca Belmore wore a sculpture-like dress in a public performance entitled Twelve Angry Crinolines, which satirized the celebrations going on at Fort William Historical Park to welcome the Duke and Duchess of York to Thunder Bay while calling attention to the effects of colonization on Indigenous women. “I went back to Belmore,” says David Karasiewicz, Definitely Superior Art Gallery’s executive and artistic director. “Which is really what kind of sparked that interest later on when we started doing Derelicte.”
What started out of a desire to explore what Belmore achieved with her intersection of wearable and performance art has grown into Thunder Bay’s must-see multidisciplinary art spectacle of the year, Derelicte, which is celebrating 15 years of wearable art this March.
The impact that Derelicte has made on the local arts community is substantial. As of mid-February, 225 wearable art pieces have been commissioned for the event, 120 specialty performance acts have graced the stage, and 8,500 people have gathered around the catwalk over the years. “We have a city-building aspect to us,” says Renée Terpstra, development administrator of Definitely Superior Art Gallery. “We take pride in connecting with the general, broader public to have them know what contemporary, new forms of art are.”
In its 15 years, Derelicte has showcased many artists—especially emerging artists—to a wide and multigenerational audience, creating a platform for the public to engage with their work that might not otherwise exist, and for some, an avenue to present their work on the provincial stage. For example, Thunder Bay-based textile artist Michel Dumont presented work from his collection Dodem, which appeared initially at Derelicte, at the Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival in Toronto this past year.
“New pieces are shown at Derelicte every year, and because this is the 15th anniversary edition, some of the best and most favourite works are going to be brought back and reshown,” says Terpstra. Dumont will be exhibiting previous work along with artists Mariano Sequeira, Luc Despres, Alyssa Kusik, and Sam Shahsahabi.
While this anniversary edition of Derelicte will feature a nod to past years as they reshow memorable pieces, the event’s signature element of surprise that makes each year memorable is here to stay. “We are usually maybe the most surprised,” says Karasiewicz. “Sometimes [the artists] give a sneak peek of what they’re working on, but usually there’s stuff [on the runway] that you just go ‘Wow, okay, that’s impressive.’ So just like the audience, we get to be surprised, too.”
Derelicte 15 will occur on March 11 at Black Pirates Pub to raise funds for Definitely Superior Art Gallery and LU Radio. Admission is $20 at the door. For more information, visit definitelysuperior.com.