Call and Response-ability : Black Canadian Works of Art and the Politics of Relation

“Sound demands a listener, text requires a reader, and performance necessitates that others be present for the experience. Without those presences, the circuit isn’t complete, the charge will not travel through, the work will not become active in the world.” These words by Kaie Kellough articulate the central idea explored in Call and Response-ability: that Black Canadian works of art cannot be understood apart from the foundational concerns of audience and reception.

A richly collaborative assemblage of artist statements, scholarly essays, critical analyses, and reflections, these writings explore what happens when Black Canadian cultural productions and interventions enter the realms of public, institutional, and pedagogical reception. Part 1 foregrounds the voices of word, sound, and visual artists, who reflect on audience during and after the creative process. Part 2, anchored by M. NourbeSe Philip’s signature essay “Who’s Listening? Artists, Audience & Language,” gathers fourteen critical inquiries into writing, theatre, visual art, and sonic practice. Part 3 turns to pedagogy, with reflections on the field and narrated syllabi that can inspire readers, discussion groups, and practitioners alike. A coda considers the ethics of relation, the practice of communal research, and the limits of the archive.

This book is an indispensable resource for anyone working with Black Canadian literature, music, visual art, and theatre. Its blend of personal reflection, critical insight, and pedagogical practice also makes it valuable to general readers and community-based audiences seeking to understand how Black Canadian art speaks – and how we might learn to listen.