Artist imagines 'man-to-man' chat between Riel, Macdonald on Parliament Hill

Mtis artist David Garneaucould be found onParliament Hill Monday afternoon wearing a hood, gesticulating at a statue.

It may sound as if the University of Regina professor had been out in the hot sun a bit too long, but it's actually a performance piece calledDear John, Louis David Riel in which Garneau, as Riel, holds a silent conversation with the statue of John A. Macdonald.

"There's a recent tradition with a number of artists, Indigenous artists ... who have been working with statues," Garneau toldAlan Neal, host of CBC Radio's All In A Day,before the performance.

"Indigenous folks do believe that material objects actually have spirits, have some sense of communion. And it's not just Indigenous people non-Indigenous people erected this statue because they believe the same thing, that there's something there. It's not just a hunk of metal."

Macdonald charged Riel with treason

In 1885, Macdonald charged Riel with high treason forleading the Northwest Rebellion a five-month insurgency that was the culmination of escalating grievances Mtisand Indigenous peoples had with theCanadian government.

A hooded Riel was executed by hanging later that year.

"I found myself imagining Riel, who really would have liked to have had a dialogue man-to-man [with Macdonald], what would that have been like?" GarneautoldAll In A Day. "So [that] led to this character."

Garneauperformed the piece three years ago in Regina in front of thatcity's John A. Macdonald statue to mark the 129th anniversary of Riel's death.

His 25-minute performance Monday was part of the National Arts Centre's Canada Scenefestival, and took placeat 5:30 p.m. on Parliament Hill, near Macdonald's statue.

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Dozens of people gatheredaround the statue to watch the performance, which also featured traditional drumming.Canada Sceneruns until July 23.