"Stepping Into Halka" is a youth-led documentary artwork that stems from a Youth Documentary Internship I established in the fall of 2022 with Project Someone as part of my role as a core artist and research affiliate in Dialogic Art, Participatory Practice, and Documentary Representation.

"Stepping Into Halka" follows the experiences of Hunnayna Hemed, Kaymarie Sutherland, and Kendra McDonald, three young women, as they document the work (and world) of Halka, a multimedia performance collective composed of well-established academic researchers, university professors, world-famous metal musicians, touring djs, and contemporary artists. The work spans over a year and offers the three girls’ unique perspective into Halka's latest creative manifestation, which included a two-night public performance in Montreal and the recording of an album. Standing on the outside looking in (with a camera) becomes an interesting intersectional positioning for Hunnayna, Kaymarie and Kendra as they explore the very ethics of their inclusion into the inner workings of academia, research, artistic production and performance. Follow them as they navigate not only the ethics of representing others, but also themselves.

Thank you to Dr. Vivek Venkatesh, Director of Project Someone, for his trust and unwavering support.

This project was supported by "Les Fonds de recherche du Quebec" and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.