Maureen Gruben, Nuna Aliannaittuq (2023 - 25); Clay, embroidery thread, 48 rings, 100 beads each; Dimensions Variable
Nuna Aliannaittuq was made in collaboration with Gruben’s family and community in Tuktoyaktuk, reigniting ancestral methods of shaping, drying, and low-firing clay. The 4,800 beads reflect the number of Inuvialuit living in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The clay was sourced from multiple sites of coastal erosion near Gruben’s home. Based on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, Gruben’s community faces relocation within the next 30-50 years due to thawing permafrost. The work enacts a reciprocal relationship: the land holds the community and, through the act of making, the community holds the disappearing land.