Chris Christion
The title I See No Ships is derived from a story that has long circulated that as Christopher Columbus approached the coast of the “New World,” Native Americans staring out at the water—straight at his ships could not see them. The theory is that when Columbus’s ships were approaching the Caribbean islands the Native people could not see them because they had no knowledge that such technology existed, and the idea of such a thing was too much for their primitive brains to process so they were blind to the ships. I See No Ships explores how individual and/or institutional predispositions to patriarchy affect notions of religion, race, class, gender, sexuality, and nation.
Image Credit: from article Rethink Beyond Your Own Reality by Chris Gagnon Posted January 22, 2015
I See No Ships
2018
Part of an ongoing exploration of the theory of perceptual blindness
“When you can express and articulate what’s happening to you, you have a measure of transcendence over it. It’ gives you speech it gives you self-definition and when you have self-definition and not defined by the world then you transcend.”
James H. Cone
I See No Ships Video Series:
Drawing from techniques of collage and found poetry, I See No Ships explores the relationship of cultural perception, cultural commodification, and trade. Taking words, phrases, even whole passages from popular and material culture and reframing them. Imparting new meaning through the cutting, splicing, and reinterpreting of elements.
The Making of I See No Ships Series
Listen to Chris Christion discuss his process of video collage and the creation of this video art series
"The series consist of three separate videos “The Prestige” which draws comparison to systematic racism and the third act of a magician’s sleight of hand routine."
“I See No Ships suggests that perceptual blindness is not a condition of the indigenous population but rather a fabricated dissonance allowing white people to believe that colonial privilege has no historical significance."
“Migration/Creation” inspired by Dr. Valorie Thomas’ writings on Diasporic Vertigo examines what it means to be constantly dislocated, disoriented, and traumatized through different phases of life and what does “self” mean if it requires constant reinvention."