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What’s your favourite venue?

Bear Witness: It doesn’t exist anymore, but I have

to mention Aloha Room, which is where A Tribe

Called Red had their first meeting. Another

important place that has been around forever

is Babylon (317 Bank St.). That’s where Electric

Pow Wow started in 2008. It’s a space that is owned

by the backstreet community and has this real

down and dirty club feel. It just feels like home.

What’s your favourite thrift store?

BW: I get material for my video work from thrift

stores. Because of the nature of what I collect

—I buy a lot of westerns that have colonialist

representations of Indigenous people—most stuff

doesn’t get re-issued, and it’s hard to find. The

Turning Point (411 Cooper St.) is great, and they

also have a good selection of records.

What’s your favourite movie theatre?

BW: The Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), which

has been around since 1932 and survived the

takeover from all the big-box suburban multiplexes.

Some people I know bought it, and made it into

a venue for art-house and genre-based films.

Where’s the best place to do karaoke?

BW: I’ve had a lot of fun at the karaoke night

hosted by drag queen China Doll at Shanghai

(651 Somerset St. W.), a Chinese restaurant run

by an amazing family that has been an important

part of the Ottawa community for decades.

Where’s the best place to get a cheeseburger?

BW: Ottawa has mastered the art of pub food

elevated to the standard of Le Cordon Bleu. I love

the Manx Pub (370 Elgin St.) and Bowman’s Bar

and Grill (1170 Carling Ave.) for cheeseburgers.

Where’s the best place to buy food?

BW: I love to cook—that’s what I did before A Tribe

Called Red. I buy my ingredients at the Ottawa

Farmers’ Market (Lansdowne Park): I always get

local game, like buffalo, elk and deer, as well as this

amazing sourdough that they sell there.

What’s your favourite coffee shop?

BW: My kitchen! When I lived on Bank Street,

I went to Bridgehead (750 Bank St. and other

locations), a local chain that sells fair-trade, organic

coffee, but now I go to the farmers’ market

and buy from a local roastery called Poppa Bean.

What’s your favourite record store?

BW: Vertigo Records (193 Rideau St.) is the best

in the city. It’s a real institution.

What’s your favourite art gallery?

BW: SAW Gallery (67 Nicholas St.) is a huge hub

in the city and gives a lot of support for Indigenous

youth. I was in the youth program in 2006

and 2007 and produced my first professional video

work there, for Miche Jetté of Flecton Big Sky.

Where’s the best place to take a selfie?

BW: Looking out across the water at Parliament

from the corner belonging to the Indian Scout

(Major’s Hill Park), who used to reside at the foot

of the statue of Samuel de Champlain, but was

moved after the Assembly of First Nations protest

in 1999. My favourite feature of this city is its

monuments. Interacting with them—that comes

from my father, Jeff Thomas, whose work

recontextualizes historical images of First Nations

people. Ottawa’s kind of a conservative place, and

it’s exciting to push back against that. It’s an artist’s

job to question the ways people are represented.

I really enjoy being that artist. ■

Bear Witness at his home and studio in Ottawa in January 2016. Witness is a video artist and one of three members,

along with DJ NDN and 2oolman, of Juno Award–winning electronic-music group A Tribe Called Red.

PHOTO JESSICA DE

EKS

Insider Tipsheet:

Bear Witness

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