Synopsis
In April 1973, 5,000 people demonstrated in Kitchener, Ontario, in support for the strike of the Dare biscuit factory workers. Hundreds of feet and legs waving, walking and picketing. A work that combines political awareness, an aesthetic point of view and a sense of humour typical of Wieland’s work.
A word from Tënk
Based on the 5 000 people that demonstrated in Kitchener, Ontario, in support of the historic strike by the mostly women workers of the Dare Cookie Factory, Joyce Wieland’s Solidarity decides to visually focus on their marching and standing feet. Encased in a variety of worker’s boots, oxfords, clogs, stilettos, flats, and pumps, the artist captures in visual prose the close-ups of soles and ankles planting dewy grass. Scored by an organizer’s chorus of “Solidarity,” Wieland’s gorgeous portrait of a labor movement is all the more effective by virtue of its immediate and lyrical imagery. In a tender turn, her camera also frames a dog’s legs and paws amid the gathering masses, enriching this candid, colorful and curious work of protest imagery.
Aaditya Aggarwal
Programs & Collections Coordinator, CFMDC
