excerpt
Isumataq Unveiled
Ken turned his attention once again to Isumataq and put Elaine in
charge of finding a manager. After a thorough search she gave him a list
of candidates. He narrowed it down to two: Bruce Allen, in Vancouver,
who was successfully managing the careers of pop bands like Chilliwack,
Bachman Turner Overdrive and the Guess Who; and Bruce Davidson,
in Toronto, who promoted events like the Messiah production and large
congresses across the country. He chose Davidson. When Bruce arrived
for their meeting, Ken was on his scaffold. He watched his initial reaction
– the stopping, the head swivelling from side to side, the eyes growing
larger and finally, the exhalation of breath and the words, “Jesus Christ!”
“I assume you’re Bruce Davidson!” Ken called down.
“Yes, I am!”
Ken climbed down.
“What do you want me to do with this?” Bruce asked.
“It’s a long story,” Ken said. “I can’t explain it to you in a blurb. It’s not
going to mean a damn thing. If you’re interested I’ll give you the very
quick blurb and then I’ll tell you the details – but don’t say anything until
you’ve heard the whole story.”
Ken gave him the bare facts – how he had travelled to the Arctic and
lived with the Inuit – how he had come to embrace their cause and how
Isumataq was meant to draw attention to their plight. What he needed
was someone who would go on the road with the painting – with the
whole show – and stage events across the country. Most importantly, he
wanted a major unveiling. Ideally, he told him, he’d like to do that in the
Arctic but his only choice of venue was Yellowknife. Alternatively, what
did he think of the Roman Colosseum with a couple of lions in tow?
Bruce laughed – he liked the idea of Rome, he said, although he could
see logistical problems. They also discussed Parliament as a venue for the
unveiling although that option simply wasn’t available. No one was permitted
to stage stunts in Parliament.
They met several times while Bruce wrestled with the idea of Isumataq.
One day he said to Ken, “But I can’t see how you can make money out of
this!”
Libros Libertad 