Maureen Gruben

In an Arctic subsistence lifestyle everything is shared and nothing is wasted. This is necessary for survival. Within Inuvialuit culture seals are emblematic of these values, providing nutrient rich food, warm clothing, and oil for burning in qulliqs (stone lamps). Breathing Hole (2019) consists of 18,000 sealskin pins fixed by hand onto 40 squares of pale blue Dricore insulation. These tiny circles of sealskin were punched out one at a time from piles of scraps—the collected remnants of a community sewing workshop. This effort to painstakingly use every available centimetre of the skin underscores and even pushes beyond substance tradition. As with hunters who wait on the ice by breathing holes for a seal to feed local families, this is a work that required patience to complete. Throughout its completion over several months, friends and family lent a hand here and there over cups of tea. Although there is an overall uniformity to the squares and the 5 x 8 grid in which they are arranged, every panel is distinct. The varied heights, densities, and silver shades of the sealskin pins create spontaneous organic patterns that reflect the idiosyncrasies and potential beauties of our collective endeavours.