Installation: Fire is Burning (draw nearer)

Fire is burning / Draw nearer / In the glowing / Come eat and be merry
 

Fire is Burning (draw nearer) (2022) is an abolitionist video installation by Syrus Marcus Ware, created in collaboration with the artist Raven Davis and ten activist singers. The work draws on a traditional song that invites community and gathering. The installation combines polyphonic singing with a looping image of a burning police car during the 2010 G20 protests in Toronto. The work refers to experiences of state violence, surveillance, and the criminalization of protest, while also raising questions about alternatives to policing and prison systems. Installed at JVA Rennelberg, the work invites viewers to imagine a world beyond punitive institutions — sustained by care, justice, and collective responsibility.

Dr. Syrus Marcus Ware is Assistant Professor at the School of the Arts, McMaster University, exploring social justice frameworks and Black activist culture. He is a Vanier scholar, visual artist, activist, curator, and educator, with works presented across Canada and internationally. Ware is part of the Black August Arts Residency Collective, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter–Canada, curator of the That’s So Gay show, and author of numerous papers, articles, and books. He is co-editor of the best-selling “Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada” (URP, 2020).