EMBASSY CULTURAL HOUSE
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​Ruby Singh

 Currents, 2021
ECH: ​Tell us a little about yourself. 

My name is Ruby Singh and I am an interdisciplinary artist and facilitator living on the unceded lands of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm,
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh Nations colonially known as Vancouver BC. I am the first of my family born on Turtle Island and am a grateful son, brother, chacha, thaiya, cousin, partner and friend.

​ECH: Briefly describe your practice.  

My creativity crosses the boundaries of music, poetry, visual art, photography and film. My expressions engage with mythos, memory, identity, justice and fantasy; where the surreal can shatter the boundaries of the real, is where I get real inspiration. As a composer
and sound designer I have worked with theatre and dance companies across Canada, as well as creating numerous scores for the National Film Board and other independent films to critical acclaim. My personal and collaborative works have been presented across
Turtle Island, India, Germany and the UK.
ECH: What role does your cultural identity play in your work?   

This is a hard question, as my cultural identity is not a separate from me so I'm not sure how to separately examine it from any of myself. It is me. It runs through my heart and mind, flows through my blood into my fingertips out into my work.


ECH: ​As a person of colour, what challenges do you face navigating the art world?  

I mean white supremacy exists everywhere in Canada, so being romanticised or essentialised just follows you no matter what field you work in. Particular to the arts scene, one of the challenges I've faced is being pigeon holed as a "cultural" artist or a "culturally diverse" artist, which extended means not white and not the norm, that shit gets tiring lol. I've been asked to compose for numerous "Indian" plays or films but rarely have I been given the opportunity to create for anything outside that cannon. Also can we talk about this wide swath phrase of "person of colour" I mean how far has that really stepped away from coloured person or non-white. As someone from the Punjabi diaspora person my experience will be vastly different from others who fall into this category. I think, especially in the arts, we could use some imagination when it comes to this and other "identity" terms. 


ECH: Could you share a little bit about your experience during the pandemic?  

ooof...at the beginning it was definitely a little terrifying, watching my livelihood slip away into some unknown abyss, not knowing what we could do to stop the spread and how it affects people differently. Having to keep my distance from my family and my little brother's newly born twins still hurts, I miss so many people I love...
I definitely leaned into my creativity alot to deal with this sense of loneliness and as things have opened and closed and opened again, I have been able to work creatively with other folx. One of the things i'm most excited about is coming up at the end of June is a 4D sound installation of a project I lead called Vox.infold, keep your ears tuned for it and if your in the Vancouver area you can actually check it out in person. It feels like we are far away from a return to normalcy. Right now watching what's happening in India and the extreme neglect, idiocracy and callousness of the Modi government is heart breaking to say the least. 
 

ECH: Do you think a dedicated “Asian Heritage Month” in Canada is still relevant? If so, could you give an example of how it is a benefit to you and the general public? If not, could you offer an alternative approach for rethinking this month and/or raising awareness of Asian cultural issues?

​I think Asian Heritage Month is still relevant in awareness but it's far from the most effective. I can't remember where I read it but one post I saw said something to the effect of, "Asian heritage month is white supremacies way of saying you all look the same" and that definitely stung with some truth to it. For an alternative approach, include us in your text books, include us in your art galleries and museums, instill us into your curriculum and not just this wide swath of "Asia's" 4.5 billion person population. Write about what we've contributed to health, the arts, engineering, architecture, agriculture, mysticism, poetry, music, astronomy, math and the sciences throughout history and teach the public about them. Thats how folx will truly gain an understanding of the vastness and many cultures of Asia, not just another stamp at the post office. 
ruby's site

EDITORIAL TEAM

ONLINE FOUNDER
Tariq Hassan Gordon

COFOUNDERS & CURATORIAL ADVISORS 
 
Jamelie Hassan 
& Ron Benner

ADVISORY CIRCLE
Samer Abdelnour, Marnie Fleming, Wyn Geleynse, Fern Helfand, S F Ho, Lorraine Klaasen, Judith Rodger, Ruth Skinner, Mary Lou Smoke, and Lucas Stenning 

COORDINATING EDITORS
Tariq Hassan Gordon & 
Olivia Mossuto

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Blessy Augustine, Anahí González, Jared Hendricks-Polack, Jessica Irene Joyce, Ira Kazi, 
Shelley Kopp, Jenna Rose Sands, Mireya Seymour, Venus Tsao, Diana Tamblyn, and Michelle Wilson. 

VIRTUAL TOUR
Andreas Buchwaldt

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OUR STORY
Artists Jamelie Hassan and Ron Benner and jazz musician Eric Stach founded the Embassy Cultural House (1983-1990) located in the restaurant portion of the Embassy Hotel at 732 Dundas Street in East London. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Embassy Cultural House was re-envisioned as a virtual artist-run space and website. 

The Embassy Cultural House gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the London Arts Council through the City of London's Community Arts Investment Program.
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The Embassy Cultural House is thankful for the mentorship program established by Western University's Visual Arts department and the continued support of the students and Faculty of Arts & Humanities.
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Our Partners

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E M B A S S Y  C U L T U R A L  H O U S E . C A

The Embassy Cultural House (ECH) is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton peoples, at the forks of Deshkan Ziibi (Antler River), an area subject to the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum and other treaties, colonized as London, Ontario. The ECH strives to create meaningful relationships between the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island and our contributors. The ECH honours the stewardship of the many Indigenous peoples who have resided on these lands since time immemorial.

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  • Home
  • Recent News
  • Community
    • Advisors & Editorial Team
    • Contributors
    • Governor General Laureates
    • In Memoriam
  • Exhibitions
  • Projects
  • Publications
  • Background
    • Past Programming >
      • Exhibitions 1983-1990 >
        • Index of Curators
        • Index of Photographers
        • Index of Visual Artists
      • Film 1983-1990
      • Music 1983-1990 >
        • Index of Musicians
      • Performances 1983-1990 >
        • Index of Performers
    • Embassy Hotel History
  • About