antler series

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please note that all antlers in this series are natural sheds

"faith code antler" contemporary sculpture by Canadian First Nations artist Jude Norris

antler contemporary sculpture by Canadian First Nations artist Jude Norris

bling bling antler 1 - sculpture by Contemporary Native American artist Jude Norris

bling bling antler 2 - antler sculpture by contemporary Native Canadian artist Jude Norris

see bling bling antler 2 video documentation here

see see Cree Prosperity videos here, featuring Bling Bling antler 1

or, go back to sculpture page

In this series, I’ve embellished, adorned and repositioned antlers, turning these ‘organic weapons’ into art objects. This is a way of focusing on their sophisticated aesthetic and sensual beauty, and on the relationship and balance between the masculine and feminine. I’ve approached the creation of this series as a collaboration with (male) individuals from the Deer, Moose, and Caribou Nations, whom I consider to be great artists.

The first works in this series have affirmations handwritten over their surface. This writing refers to the healing impact of both subconscious de/reprogramming and painstaking, arduous or ritualistic activity. The visually chanted English words follow and become part of each antler's 'landscape', playing on the need for a more empathetic relationship with the natural world. There is further wordplay in the poetry of the statements themselves, adding another level to the popular new age exercise of creating affirmations.

The wall mounted, ‘coded’ antlers in the series display words from our Plains Cree tipi pole teachings, where each pole has a word associated with it, representing a cultural value. On each antler, one of these words has been translated into binary code, then handwritten over the antler’s surface. Binary code is both a contemporary (computer technology), and a very ancient (African divination) language. All ones and zeros, its geometric form takes on a ‘tribal’ look when written by hand.
Taking something so heavily associated with Western digital technology and (re)infusing it with an organic quality becomes an entwined act of wry/playful decolonization or ‘reverse appropriation’ with an emphasis on the relationship between nature technology.

In the interest of protecting work in vulnerable stages of development, I now keep my newest pieces on a private page until they, and/or other closely related works, have been seen in public venues and/or by my peers in a public context, so that there is a public record of the production & timeline of signature elements and artworks in my practice.

To see new sculpture, interested curators, collectors or other arts professionals may contact me to request access to this webpage at Winter at Winter-Brown dot com.

Hiy hiy,
Bebonkwe ᐱᐳᐣ