Nichol Marsch

The beads in Nichol Marsch’s studio are carefully arranged in containers that categorize them not only by colour but also by what they are made of – plastic or glass, for example – or by texture. To the untrained eye or hand, all beads might be alike, but to Marsch’s finely attuned touch and sight, each one has a series of distinct qualities that makes it unique.

Marsch’s practice at Est-Nord-Est revolves around a series of self-portraits that take various forms. Working from historical examples of beadwork in Métis communities but also from other cultures, she focuses on how artisans structure flowers and floral patterns, constructing their own set of designs. First drawing the desired image by hand, she then meticulously beads the work, performing a series of repetitive gestures that harken back generations. This work is intimate in many ways, from the production of each piece, which demands hours of labour, to the codes and symbols embedded in the choices of flora, placement, and other elements that form meaningful access points for her and for others who hold the keys. Working at different scales, from the more portable, handheld object that can be worn to larger, picture-format sizes that can go on a wall, she also produces various ways of encountering the work.

Marsch’s studio is also occupied by a wooden chair that she has been working on for an ongoing series titled Creation (2019–), a self-portrait reflecting on her heritage. The initial piece from this series explored “having learned Indigenous creation stories through institutional settings in lieu of traditional knowledge systems,” according to Marsch’s website. In an exploration of her Scottish heritage, each section of the chair is custom-built to the dimensions of her body. She will weave the back segment of the chair once she returns home to Winnipeg. Carrying the pieces of her residency forward, Marsch’s work moves on with her, a testament to the embodied process that she continuously enacts in her practice.