For lovers of sound art who can get their ears to Toronto, New Adventures in Sound Art has announced its schedule of performances, workshops and panels for the upcoming Radio Without Boudaries conference. This three day gathering (May 27, 28 and 29) will explore the many potentials, boundaries and artist perspectives of radio and transmission art.
Sound
Unconventional storytelling and sound art
'Radio Without Boundaries' sound art conference and festival
Terrible Karma honours garment workers
Traveling audio-visual installation marks centenary of Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Terrible Karma (Terrible Karma: reverberations of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire created and curated by Adeola Enigbokan and Merle Patchett) is a mobile audio-visual installation exploring the global reverberations of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, on its 100th anniversary: March 25th 2011.
Immediately on the heels of my last post about them, I’m happy to post that Liberate Tate is looking to collaborate with sound artists to create an alternative audio tour/guide for the Tate that will help in their efforts to stimulate debate around the relationship between art, oil and climate change.
The alternative audio tour is just one of many steps that Liberate Tate has taken in challenging the corporate presence of large oil companies inside cultural institutions, a presence they feel “compromises culture and expression.”
Nelly Furtado to donate $1m from Gaddafi
Singer performed at a party for the Libyan dictator in 2007
With Libya currently in the spotlight, Nelly Furtado seems to be having second thoughts about a show she performed back in 2007 — a private concert for guests of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
The Canadian pop star announced on Twitter that she’ll be donating the $1 million fee she received for her performance at an Italian hotel.
According to Aux, other musicians who have performed private shows for the Gaddafi family include Mariah Carey, Beyonce, and Usher.
Dancing in the immensity
Disappear by Ian Ferrier reflects on the impermanence of life
Poetry can project reflections on our world and the complexity of the human condition in ways no other written format can; a direct line to the wanderings of the soul. Poetic verse can illuminate the mystical or spiritual sides to our existence often swept aside in our fast moving world. Words spelling out the beautiful impossibility of life on this green planet.
Disappear by Montreal poet Ian Ferrier — a composition with the band Pharmakon featuring Kris Mah on guitar and laptop, Doug Stein on drums, and in collaboration with media artist pk langshaw — is a beautiful portrait on the permanence and impermanence of life. An incredible mix of spoken-word performance poetry and contemporary dance, Disappear is a multidisciplinary feat of beauty from the heart of Montreal’s poetry scene. Disappear is a single on Pharmakon’s recently released album To Call Out in the Night.
When protest becomes art
Music video of Wisconsin student-led uprising is inspired work
The above video, shot and edited by 22-year old videographer Matt Wisiniewski, transforms footage of Wisconsin activists demonstrating, marching, speaking, singing and occupying into a beautiful montage music video. While the political context is not present in such works (why they are protesting, what’s at stake, etc) Wisniewski’s talented hand crafts an electrifying, inspirational and emotional ode to popular uprising, dissent and critical public intervention. This video, which is more like a music video (complete with the ever-popular Arcade Fire as soundtrack) than a documentary, is a fine compendium to the news pieces and documentaries about last week’s massive uprising in Madison, Wisconsin, in the face of anti-union legislation.
Young university students have led the way in this intervention, disproving cynical pundits who decry the digital native generation’s proclivity to gazing and tapping into digital communication devices. It’s exciting to not only see the students, workers and general population of Madison stand up for fair wages, collective bargaining rights and accessible education (among other things), but incredibly inspiring to see such actions transformed into the kinds of media Wisniewski has shared with the world. Bravo and On Wisconsin!!!
Do musicians make good politicians?
Tariq Hussain questions potential career moves on CBC Radio 3
Starting at 11am Pacific today, CBC Radio 3 host Tariq Hussain is asking his listeners “Do musicians make good politicians?”
“There’s still much talk about The Arcade Fire’s win at the Grammy’s,” says Tariq on his CBC blog post. “So, what’s next for Win Butler? Running for political office? Well, maybe in ten years. It’s not beyond the imagination — Butler’s been vocal, political. He took a firm stance for Haiti earthquake relief last year. And speaking of Haiti, remember when Wyclef Jean declared his intentions to run for office?”
CBC Radio 3 streams live online, so you can tune in, enjoy great Canadian music, and partake in the convo even if you’re outside of Canada!
Music education is for lovers
Monday Music Pick: Imagine
On this Valentine’s Day, we’re offering you an international version of John Lennon’s “Imagine”, which will take you “from the favelas of Brazil to the shrines of southern India, from villages in Nepal to the glittering urban landscape of Tokyo and New York, and beyond.”
The film is produced by the Playing For Change Foundation, who build music and art schools for children across the world.
Instead of a gift of flowers or chocolate, consider donating in the name of your loved one, and help create positive change through arts education.
Will Justin Bieber boycott Israel?
Music video by John Greyson asks the Biebs to cancel concert
UPDATE: The Bieber BDS video has been censored by YouTube! Stay tuned as we investigate who’s behind this attack on art and activism. You can continue to share the video through Vimeo, who respect fair use and tolerate criticism of apartheid regimes.
If only Justin Bieber would listen to his luscious locks, he would do the right thing and cancel his upcoming concert in Israel in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
At least that’s the message in BDS Bieber, the latest music video by Canadian filmmaker John Greyson. The slick parody of Bieber’s hit song “Baby” combines clever lyrics, hilarious animation, and the unlikeliest of Bieber impersonators to make a impassioned plea for the Biebs to cancel his April 14 perfomance in Tel Aviv.
Debate for nothing
Dire Straits censorship uproar paints consumers as victims
By now it’s old news, so let’s skip past the boring part and get right to the bit where we start talking about the word “faggot”, that loathsome term that lands at the back of the throat, right between a fuck-you and a glottal stop, somewhere behind the uvula where the brains of bigotry commonly reside.
That was the starting point for the entire debate (and my lede, that I’ve successfully and quite consciously buried here in this paragraph) surrounding last week’s decision by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council to ban a version of Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing,” after a listener filed a complaint. The version in question, a 1985 track from the album Brothers In Arms, uses the word “faggot” three times as it famously riffs away into the annals of dad rock.
