Heirloom
JARD LEREBOURS, Heirloom, 2024, Video
I challenged myself to represent Haiti and my relationship to it without using any living, breathing people. I wanted to focus on objects and the feelings they can invoke. Heirloom is an object study of all the items in my house that remind me of my grandparents and their legacy. My family's presence in this country was brought on by necessity, owing to my grandfather’s activism work. I use the camera to mimic my eyes wandering through the house, catching onto remnants of my grandparents’ presence. However, these remnants include less tangible things, like the trauma and harm befallen upon my father by my grandfather.
The film begins with an object study of flowers painted by my grandfather Joseph, followed by a photo of my grandparents, soon after their wedding day. The camera passes through the house, detailing everything from engravings of Jesus to pikliz, Madame Gougousse Jasmine Rice, and those fancy porcelain lamps everyone’s grandparents own. Heirloom’s score consists of a call from the Hispaniolan Trogon, the national bird of Haiti. It's a bird that lives in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, uniting our shared island. As part of my object study, I wanted to imagine the sounds my ancestors may have heard on the island before the invention of Kompa or any other Haitian genres of music.
Nou Ayiti
JARD LEREBOURS, Nou Ayiti, 2024, Video
Nou Ayiti features an interview with Yvrose Ulysse, my friend Archie’s mom. In addressing the idea of Haiti in the future and reimagining our island, I found it important to get the perspective of an older generation. I believe that her words and perspective are vastly more important than my own. Oftentimes, intergenerational dialogue isn’t present within these conversations, so I wanted to use this platform to uplift her voice. To the side of this recorded interview, I recorded a meditative writing exercise delving into my thoughts about Haiti and my relationship to it. I acknowledge that many of the blockades between me and my ancestral land come from imperialism, corrupt politicians, and the West’s continual onslaught upon Haiti and its people.
Jard Lerebours is a Black magician specializing in video making and writing. They are influenced by a lineage of artists including Marlon Riggs, James Baldwin and Langston Hughes. These luminaries have given him the image and language to portray his experiences authentically and with style. Jard's work is rooted in their West Indian culture, a stew and melting pot of regional, indigenous and African influences. His artmaking reflects this through its multidisciplinary nature.