SOUTH RIVER — New Adventures in Sound Art, also known as NAISA, is presenting the 19th edition of its Deep Wireless Festival of Radio and Transmission Art from now to March 30 at the NAISA North Media Arts Centre in South River.
Deep Wireless opens with Art’s birthday celebrations in mid-January and continues to the end of March with performances, special radio broadcasts, interactive installations and workshops.
The experience of radio does not have to be limited to one-way communication (i.e., passive listening). Some of the early innovators of radio thought of it as a two-way interactive medium. This year’s Deep Wireless artists use wireless technology to explore interactivity between participants and the artworks while using the theme of transformation to suggest alternative paths of expression and communication. The installations and performances invite participation, but they also consciously allow for the public’s input to be transformed into unexpected outcomes.
Songs of Ice on exhibit until March 30
Songs of Ice brings together the work of Michael Waterman and Jesse Stewart, two Ottawa-based interdisciplinary artists who have a shared passion for sonic exploration. In this exhibition, they explore the sonic properties of ice in both solid and melting forms while creating a two-way interaction between an outdoor geodesic dome and an indoor exhibition area at NAISA. Elements of the work will be developed through a two-day workshop with students from the South River Public School.
Re-Collect / Re-Told: Your Stories of New And Old until March 30
NAISA will once again present its ongoing collection of stories as told by children, parents and grandparents in the region in this interactive exhibit matched with historic photos of South River to tell the story of our community and our place in the Near North. Come add your voice to the mix. Added to this year’s story collection at the end of February will be A Good Ways North by Peterborough podcaster and radio artist Ayesha Barmania, who will be the first artist-in-residence at NAISA to create a radio art work from the Re-Collect / Re-Told story collection. She will be giving an artist talk and presenting her work on Feb. 29 at 2 p.m.
The 2020 edition of the Deep Wireless Festival of Radio and Transmission Art is funded in part by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage.
New Adventures in Sound Art is a non-profit organization originally located in Toronto but since 2017 is now based in South River at the NAISA North Media Arts Centre. NAISA produces performances and installations spanning the entire spectrum of electroacoustic and experimental sound art. Included in its productions are: Deep Wireless Festival of Radio and Transmission Art, Springscapes, Sound Travels Festival of Sound Art and the SOUNDplay Festival.
Darren Copeland is the artistic director for the New Adventures in Sound Art.
