If you pass the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre in early September and it hums, beeps or rattles at you, don't be alarmed. Stop in to see and hear an ambitious project, Laboratorio, from a trio of Coast artists.
The work of Roberts Creek artist Heather Gatz will be hanging on the walls quietly, as expected, from Sept. 2 to 27. Her artwork will be the inspiration and point of entry for an audio component using an ongoing video and sound installation curated by composer and sound artist Giorgio Magnanensi and musician Steve Wright.
Although some of Gatz's paintings are 10 years old, most have never been seen by the public. They are colour infused, mostly abstract, with recurrent themes such as the repeated appearance of a cartoon sad sack figure. Gatz will also show newer work: collaged pieces and unique embellished boxes.
"I'm not a single vision person," she said. "I'm open to all art experiences."
The show's title, Groping for the Points of Contact, is alsoa painting title.
"When I made thisparticular painting, I was reading about Islamic patterning andthinking about visual communication," she explained.
The group will render small segments of Gatz's paintings into reverberations and light using interactive sound and video display. They are thankful that the Arts Council will be allowing them free rein for their creativity.
"There are not many galleries in Vancouver that would offer this," Mag-nanensi said.
His background includes a love of music since the age of four and a high profile role as the principal conductor for the Vancouver New Music Ensemble.
Wright has been a musician all his life, as a singer, songwriter and acoustic guitar player. He's also worked with kids doing sound music workshops.
"We come from different worlds," he said of Magnanensi. "He's a conductor - I'm a sports bar musician."
But when it comes to making music from ambient noise, the two are in harmony.
Magnanensi, who was born in Italy, met Gatz in Vancouver several years ago and the couple moved to Roberts Creek. Wright met him when he was featured in an article describing his fascination with sound design.
"He showed me sounds," Wright said, and is particularly excited by a workshop that the trio have planned for Sept. 11 called Butterflies which will explore pure tones. As the sound is created, participants will see it expressed in colourful images on an oscilloscope. To demonstrate, Wright uses his digital recorder to catch the sound of potato chips rustling in a bowl. Later he loads the repetitive swishing sound onto the mixing board in Magnanensi's studio and it becomes the flashing rhythm section for a larger piece.
Because the process is interactive, each visitor to the Arts Centre will be able to generate their own show. There may be some extreme sounds provoking strong reactions. It's not necessarily entertainment, Magnanensi points out, but it does have a creative energy to it. You don't need to understand it to make it your own.
"If we're not challenging people with our art, then we're not doing our job," Wright adds.
The opening reception is Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m.
Throughout the month the trio will host a series of concerts and events featuring stunning visuals and surround sound. The events range from a sound workshop for children on Sept. 5 at 10:30 a.m. (ages five to 12), to a Neil Young remix experience on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. A workshop and demo of circuit bending on Sept. 19 takes educational toys and delves into their simple circuitry to create new soundscapes.
The show will also launch Laboratorio encompassed in an event on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. - a new non-profit society based on the Coast that encourages active learning through participatory sound and art creation. To register for the workshops which will be offered at a small fee, e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].
