(part of the larger “Performing Institutions” project led by Dr. Shauna Janssen at Concordia University)

Descent is an audio walk created for a site-specific performance in the Hall building. The guide leads you through the south-east stairwell in the Hall building, highlighting personal narratives, as well as the Charter of Concordia. Descent is a response to the disorienting nature of institutions. Universities are naturally filled with a multitude of stories, histories, memories and disciplines. This space is overwhelmingly rich with sources to draw on, and yet an isolating shadow that looms in these spaces. 

The south-east stairwell in the Hall Building locates the performance in a site of transition within the university, reflecting on the journey we embark on when we acquire new knowledge, as well as the distancing effect from society at large. Universities have the power to connect people and nourish relationships, but they also have the power to isolate us from who we used to be as we grow. Descent seeks to explore the relationship between personal stories which are hidden inside the institution at large. This dichotomy springs from the idea that universities specialize in moulding their students into a box, yet constantly ask them to remain innovative and unique. The Charter of Concordia (a professional and legal document dictating how the institution is run) is highlighted in this performance. The rigidity of the charter and the personal intersect, as they negotiate agency in transitional spaces. As you spend time in the stairwell, a “back alley” place in the institution, there is time to explore what personal transactions are occurring around oneself, as well as reflecting on the institution in a larger sense. This piece seeks contemplation of the self, and the decisions that we make within the walls of Concordia University.

Link to Audio: https://www.mixcloud.com/SadieGilker/1-descent-sadie-gilker-performing-institutions-2019/