The first presentation of Montreal-based artist Nadia Myre in Scotland, ‘Code-Switching and Other Work’ responds to the history of clay tobacco pipe production in Glasgow through photography, sculpture, sound and performance. As an Algonquin member of the Kitigàn-zìbì Anishinàbeg First Nation, Myre’s practice explores cross-cultural experiences and mediations as a strategy for recognising and reclaiming the contributions of indigenous arts and cultural production.

A by-product of the tobacco trade with the so-called New World, clay pipes were one of the first ‘disposable’ items to enter the market, purchased pre-stuffed with tobacco and the stems broken off incrementally as they were consumed. Described by Myre as ‘archaeological refuse,’ the pipe shards collected are skeletal, with a bone-like feel. Commissioned by Mother Tongue and Glasgow International 2018, Myre’s new work aims to decolonise histories of these trade items, highlighting their shifting meanings. Through processes of imprinting, documenting, weaving and excavating, ‘Code-Switching, and Other Work’ questions Western-centric modes of displaying ‘knowledge’ and asks enduring questions around Glasgow’s colonial past.