Winding Our Way Home: Brain Injury, Identity, and Belonging
Public Energy is proud to be a partner in the making of a work that had its beginnings when Melissa was an Artist-In-Residence with Public Energy from 2019 to 2020. This collaboration with the Brain Injury Association Peterborough Region (BIAPR) – with funding from the Ontario Arts Council – was Melissa’s pandemic pivot: away from doing a public dance piece with members of the BIAPR, to creating films around identity.
There are two films.
The first is Winding Our Way Home – The Project, The Journey, The Experience. It describes the project and features all six short films made by the participants. It is 36 minutes long. You can watch it here.
The second is Melissa’s own short film called The Waiting. It is 3 minutes. You can watch it here.
Content Notes: Descriptions of grief connected to injury, emotional trauma, medical trauma, accidents and physical injuries, brain injuries.
Still from Winding Our Way Home
Still from Winding Our Way Home
Still from Winding Our Way Home
Still from Winding Our Way Home
Still from Winding Our Way Home
Still from Winding Our Way Home
Melissa Addison-Webster is a performance artist. As a Genderqueer person living with disabilities who is also settler, and ally she has a varied career in the Disability and Integrated Arts fields. Melissa’s practice endeavours to create more understanding, harmony, and respect across society combining her passions of spiritual and social change. She has studied Expressive Art Therapy, (Haliburton School of the Arts), has an Honours Degree in History (Trent) and an Honours Degree in Social Work (Lakehead). Melissa perform
ed at the 8 to 8, From the Floor (Peterborough) and the Fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists (Toronto). She has collaborated with The Theatre Centre (Toronto), Picasso Pro (Toronto), Propeller Dance (Ottawa), and Michelle Silagy (The School of Toronto Dance Theatre). As a Crip arts advocate, Melissa has made presentations about her arts practice at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery Sunday Series (Toronto) and H’Art School Able Artist (Kingston). She has facilitated dance classes at York University, the Regional Ontario Contact Improv Jam and through her private social work practice.
