The Stories of Saskatchewan’s Incarcerated Population and the Task of Survivance.

Why the Caged Bird Sings—Immersive Engagements is an incredibly powerful exhibition by interdisciplinary artist Cheryl L’Hirondelle that amplifies the voices of marginalized incarcerated individuals, giving them a platform to share their stories with the world.

L’Hirondelle’s artistic background is rooted in her Indigenous heritage. Her work draws deeply from the teachings and traditions of nēhiyawin (Cree worldview). As a community-engaged artist and singer-songwriter, her practice blends storytelling, music and visual art to create experiences that foster collective healing and empowerment. L’Hirondelle’s focus on sharing nēhiyawēwin (Cree language) through song is a central part of her work, as she uses music and narrative to promote survivance—survival through the resilience of culture, language and community.

Her work merges visual art, music and immersive technologies, creating a distinct multimodal environment unlike any other. The exhibition draws on her decades-long engagement with incarcerated and detained populations in Saskatchewan, leading collaborative songwriting workshops and highlighting the meaningful art and stories that come from constrained environments. 

Through this exhibition, she brings the voices and stories of incarcerated individuals to life in a deeply interactive and sensory-rich experience, making the personal and communal nature of music and art accessible to a broader audience. 

With the staggering overrepresentation of Indigenous people in federal and provincial penitentiaries across the country, this display of art is a testament to the personhood of those affected. Although Indigenous people make up approximately 5% of the Canadian population, nearly 70% of the incarcerated population in Canada is Indigenous. 

According to the federal Over-Representation Index for Indigenous persons in 2021, the incarceration rate of Indigenous people was approximately 9 times higher than that of a non-Indigenous person. According to the provincial Over-Representation Index of Saskatchewan, Indigenous people are 18 times more likely to be incarcerated than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Our province’s Over-representation Index is the highest in the entire country. 

This is a horrible affront to the autonomy and justice that all Indigenous people deserve, and this dark truth about our justice system must be brought to light. This exhibit highlights the horrific realities of so many, and does an incredible job of giving those who have been stripped of their freedoms their voices back. 

The central theme of Why the Caged Bird Sings revolves around the concept of finding expansive creative expression within the confines of restriction. L’Hirondelle’s artistic practice has consistently sought to amplify marginalized voices, and in this exhibition, she explores how these voices can soar despite systemic limitations. 

The exhibition itself acts as a bridge between the challenging realities of incarceration and the liberating potential of creative collaboration and exploration. Her immersive works incorporate a variety of media, including virtual reality, video projections, hyper-directional audio and olfactory elements, all working together to create an experience that engages the audience on multiple sensory levels. These elements reflect the deeply collaborative nature of the songwriting projects, where incarcerated participants contributed lyrics, music, and personal stories, many of which are woven into the exhibition’s interactive components.

L’Hirondelle’s practice in creating immersive environments reflects her belief in the power of art to foster connection, healing and transformation. She has consistently worked to bring elements of the natural, northern landscape into urban spaces and structured environments like galleries. In this exhibition, she brings the vastness of the northern Saskatchewan landscape into the confines of the “white cube” gallery space, allowing viewers to experience a sense of freedom and expansiveness despite the confined space. 

The exhibition includes nine original drawings created by participants in L’Hirondelle’s songwriting workshops. These drawings serve as visual extensions of the songs and personal stories shared during the collaborative process, adding another layer of depth to the exhibition. A listening station features all nine songs from the project, allowing visitors to engage with the music directly. To further enhance the interactive nature of the exhibit, karaoke versions of the songs will be displayed in the gallery’s street-facing window, inviting passersby to sing along and engage with the music outside the traditional gallery space.

The exhibition culminates in a special concert featuring well-known Saskatchewan musicians, including Sask Music Award-winning artist Berk Jodoin. This live performance will bring the original songs created in collaboration with incarcerated participants to life, allowing the public to witness the transformation of individual stories into powerful musical performances. The concert provides a celebratory and participatory finale to the exhibition, reinforcing the theme of radical inclusion that runs throughout L’Hirondelle’s work.

In recognition of her significant contributions to the arts, L’Hirondelle received the 2021 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Art. She is currently completing an interdisciplinary, practice-based PhD at SMARTlab/UCD in Ireland. PAVED Arts’ exhibition is curated by Judy McNaughton, Northern Artistic Director at Common Weal Community Arts, who has worked alongside L’Hirondelle since 2008 to deliver songwriting workshops to incarcerated populations.

Why the Caged Bird Sings will be on display at PAVED Arts until April 17, when L’Hirondelle will bring the exhibition to its close with a brilliant concert.