Iniskim is an immersive, puppet-lantern, performance experience that lives upon the land in the area of Treaty 7, near to where the Blackfoot peoples call Mohkinstsis – which is now known also as Calgary, AB. The performance celebrates the reintegration of Bison into the natural ecosystem of Banff National Park, our country’s premiere National Park. It shares the inspiration of Canadian artists – both First Nations and non-First Nations people – together with local communities within the vicinity, embracing people of all ages, to remind us of what it means to be alive and in concert with one of the greatest gifts that we have – our robust and healthy natural world.

On October 3, 2020, Iniskim was performed for a live audience on the land at Leighton Art Centre, as the performance was recorded for the National Arts Centre / Centre National Des Arts Grand Acts of Theatre project. We invite you to enjoy the resulting video of Iniskim and 11 other large-scale, new works that were created in response to the pandemic and performed outdoors in front of live audiences in various Canadian locations.

This live performance adhered to all the health and safety guidelines put in place by the Government of Alberta at the time it was recorded.

Photo by Mike Tan Photography.

Produced by the Canadian Academy of Mask and Puppetry with additional assistance by Bison Belong, Parks Canada, Old Trout Puppet Workshop, Contemporary Calgary, Leighton Art Centre and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.