Bridging Cultures Through the Arts

How a cross-country project used storytelling, community and connection to spark dialogue and understanding

Two men sitting in front of each other, one playing a musical instrument, the other sitting in front of a microphone, during an art performance

FEATURE ART STORY

When Cyrus Sundar Singh talks about WhereWeStand (WWS), his voice is equal parts filmmaker, philosopher, and community builder. 鈥淲hen everything was getting close to being wrapped up,鈥� he recalls, 鈥渨e had all these beautiful co-created projects to showcase and I had a vision: ten destinations. Taking it on the road to ten different places across the country.鈥�

That vision became a journey. What began as a multimedia arts project pairing Indigenous and newcomer graduate students evolved into a travelling series of premieres across Canada, each one made possible not just by creativity, but by connections and consultations.

The conception of WhereWeStand, along with the title, came through a series of consultations with a diverse range of Indigenous people across Canada in the spirit of collaboration. From coast to coast to coast, the conversations were lessons in listening, learning, and leveraging the shared wisdom that led to the design and implementation of WWS.

Growing through relationships

WhereWeStand was always about people first. Initiated through the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration (CERC Migration) and supported by the Bridging Divides research program, the project invited 14 Indigenous and newcomer students 鈥� some artists, some new to creative expression 鈥� to collaborate on deeply personal works of art. They created films, performances, dances, and tapestries that reflected their identities, their relationship with the Land, and their sense of belonging in Canada.

But while the output was artistic, the foundation was relational.

鈥淭hese were not just collaborations between artists,鈥� says Cyrus. 鈥淭hey were collaborations between communities, between institutions, between generations of knowledge.鈥�

The partnerships behind the scenes were just as essential. From host venues like the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ontario, to national museums and local storytellers, each stop along the way was shaped by people who believed in the project, and often in Cyrus himself.

鈥淧ier 21, where we hosted our first premiere, I鈥檇 worked with them on a project 10 years ago,鈥� notes Cyrus. Other relationships were newer, sparked by introductions or cold calls that became warm connections. 鈥淲oodland was a cold call,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut I traveled there in person, and making the journey made the difference.鈥�

Another key relationship at the heart of the project is between Cyrus and Nicole Lee, Anishinaabe Kwe of Couchiching First Nation, based in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Nicole first connected with Cyrus in 2020 as a participant in a previous project he led, i am鈥�, and has since grown into the role of co-creative producer for WhereWeStand.

Her journey from mentee to mentor reflects one of the project鈥檚 greatest strengths: the ability to nurture collaborations so that they deepen over time, allowing for shared growth and leadership.

These two groups don鈥檛 ever get together enough,鈥� Nicole says of Indigenous and newcomer communities. 鈥淭hey both come with experiences. These experiences are very similar but we really haven鈥檛 explored them.鈥� Through the project, she found a space to reconnect with her own identity while helping others do the same. 鈥淲hen Cyrus came to me to brainstorm for the WhereWeStand project, I knew I needed to be part of it to create a safe space for these two communities to come together, like I had.鈥�

Nicole has led the cohort through their premieres across Canada, providing insights, support, and guidance to both participants and audiences.

鈥淚t truly has been incredible. WhereWeStand is such a unique and special project that has given myself and the cohort a space to explore and learn about ourselves, one another, and every individual we meet along the way.鈥�

From coast to coast to coast: The story of a road trip

At its core, WhereWeStand was always meant to move. The artists came from across Canada, from the urban west coast to rural northern Ontario, and it only made sense that the project鈥檚 final form would reflect that national scope.

Each time the project was presented at a new venue, it was adapted to reflect its local context. From inviting local Indigenous artists and knowledge keepers to visiting nearby communities that shaped the cultural and historical identity of the host institutions, each event became a reflection of the Land. Local collaborators were engaged at every stage of the planning process, ensuring that no two presentations were alike and that each one felt grounded in the community that welcomed it.

Cyrus originally left Toronto off the list of destinations. 鈥淭oronto gets everything,鈥� he laughs. Instead, he focused on bringing the work to communities that don鈥檛 always see themselves reflected on big stages. Places where conversations about belonging, identity, and reconciliation are deeply relevant, and still unfolding.

Before the Brantford premiere, for example, the cohort stayed at Six Nations of the Grand River, where they shared food, exchanged stories, and learned from community members. "I didn't know a lot about what I was getting into," said Heather George, the Executive Director of the Woodland Cultural Center, "but Cyrus was so enthusiastic and passionate about the work, and it was so positive that I said yes. From there we build not just a one-off event, but this beautiful opportunity for relationship building over multiple days on Six Nations of the Grand River territory."

For George, the strength of the project wasn't just in the final artistic works and the amount of people in the audience, though it was a full room, "but also that relationality of the work and building and strengthening those relationships."

Participants, too, had the opportunity to connect deeply with the places where they presented their work. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Westbury Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta. Each stop was a collaboration: not just a venue booking, but a shared intention to make space for reflection, honesty, and art that challenged and connected.

The art was just the beginning

If you ask Cyrus what he鈥檚 proudest of, he might not point to the performances or the packed audiences. Instead, he talks about the web of relationships the project wove: among artists, between organizers, and across institutions that had rarely worked together before.

鈥淵ou need to invest in your community and invest in these relationships,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ecause when you do, you can open the door for someone else, and someone else will open the door for you.鈥�

The cohort of artists reflected this ethos. Some had never met in person before the premiere. Others overcame logistical, creative, or emotional hurdles to produce their pieces. But throughout, participants shared the understanding that growth comes through dialogue, and that co-creation is an act of trust.

For instance, Chinese Canadian dancer Yingfei Lu and her project partner William Monague, a music producer from Beausoleil First Nation, collaborated on a film blending music and dance. Though they connected virtually throughout the process, they met in person for the first time in Nova Scotia, just hours before their film premiered.

Filmmaker Derek Sands, from Walpole Island First Nation, and his Brazilian partner, Lu铆sa Cruz, also forged a deep bond while working on their project, a film exploring how plants act as mediators of belonging and memory. Their collaboration led to an unexpected friendship. 鈥淭he best part of the project was meeting Derek鈥檚 family, creating those memories,鈥� said Lu铆sa.

Audiences weren鈥檛 passive, either. At each premiere, space was carved out for discussion and interaction. After films and performances, artists shared their process. At one venue, attendees were even invited to contribute to a community tapestry, stitching, quite literally, their own stories into the fabric of the project.

Holding the door open

In the end, WhereWeStand was鈥檛 just about the events or even the art. It was about creating a framework for what happens when people show up for each other, with curiosity, care, and commitment.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 just co-create stories,鈥� says Cyrus. 鈥淲e co-created the spaces to share them. That鈥檚 the cumulative value of partnerships.鈥�

The project began back in December 2022 with a question posed to Indigenous communities across the country: What if we鈥�? 鈥淚 never imagined that two-and-a-half years later this light would keep brightly shining.鈥�

In June 2025, One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand will premiere in Toronto. This exemplifies the power of consultation, collaboration, and co-creation with the community. The wisdom, learning, and support have nurtured a village of relationships that will continue to be shared and paid forward.

For Cyrus, while the Toronto premiere will mark the end of the project's first chapter, it鈥檚 far from the end of the journey. 鈥淓ducation is neither limited to the walls of classrooms and teachers nor the halls of academia and academics. We learn from the entire village and the learning goes both ways.鈥� For Cyrus, while the Toronto premiere will mark the end of the project's first chapter, it鈥檚 far from the end of the journey. A second chapter is already underway in the form of a Multimedia Learning Resource, set to launch in the fall of 2025. 鈥淭he Universe, she keeps leading me forward鈥︹€�