Synopsis
Acadian singer-songwriter Jean Dularge has never been recognized for his contribution to the history of rock in Acadia. The reason is simple: he never existed. Jean Dularge is an experimental historiography project by Acadian artist Rémi Belliveau, in which historical fiction is performed and inserted into the fragmentary and little-known history of rock in New Brunswick’s Acadian communities. Rooted in several years of research and artifact gathering, the narrative that emerges seeks to validate the hybrid and shifting nature of the Acadian identity by asserting its right not to identify with either of Eastern Canada’s dominant musical cultures, either Anglo-Maritime or Franco-Quebecois.
A word from Tënk
Viens voir l'Acadie, Donat Lacroix's Acadian anthem, is taken up by Acadian multidisciplinary artist Rémi Belliveau who, in Jean Dularge, finds himself playing the role of an Acadian singer-songwriter during a 45 rpm recording session. An experimental historiographical docu-drama in the style of D. A. Pennebaker's Don't Look Back, Belliveau delves into the notion of Acadian identity, refusing to define itself in terms of binary distinctions - linguistic, above all, but also cultural, historical and identitarian. "Come and see Acadia", musician Jean Dularge repeats. To come and see Dularge/Belliveau's Acadie is to find an Acadie that is both self-critical and self-aware of its intersectionality. It's a fusion of the traditional and the post-modern. It's a queer Acadia and a trans Acadia.
The film was presented as part of the graduate exhibition Yesterday Seems So Far Away / Chapter 4 / Jean Dularge at the Galerie de l'UQAM and at FICFA in 2020. The second part of the project will feature Belliveau in the role of musician Joan Dularge. The project will be released in 2023.
Dominique Léger
Head of the programming for FICFA
Presented in collaboration with
