TELLINGS: A Post-Human Vocal Concert

Sinuosity, 2018, Jeneen Frei Njootli & Tsēmā Igharas. Photo by Mike Patten. The Biennale d’art contemporain autochtone (BACA) / Contemporary Native Art Biennial: NÍCHIWAMISKWÉM | NIMIDET | MA SŒUR | MY SISTER, ART MÛR GALLERY

TELLINGS: A Post-Human Vocal Concert

Date: Saturday, November 16
Location: OCAD University, Graduate Gallery | 205 Richmond Street West
Artists: Erin Gee, Jeneen Frei Njootli, Miya Masaoka, Stephanie Loveless, and Tsēmā Igharas

Co-presented in partnership with Trinity Square Video and Graduate Studies, OCAD University | Technical support by Canadian Music Centre.

Co-curated by Myung-Sun Kim and Maiko Tanaka

TELLINGS—A Post-Human Vocal Concert seeks to challenge traditional conceptions of voice in a three-part program. Artists working experimentally with sound—live electronics, deep listening, sound art—perform compositions that explore new modes of vocal production.

Schedule:
Sonic Meditation with Stephanie Loveless
Time: 10:30−11:45am

Sound artist Stephanie Loveless will lead an introduction to, and embodied exploration of, the instruction scores of pioneering composer Pauline Oliveros. We will explore practices of listening and sounding that are designed to help us engage more creatively with each other and the world around us. All-regardless of musical background or ability-are invited to participate!

Miya Masaoka: Sonifying the Plants (A Performative Talk)
Time: 12:00−1:30pm

A performative lecture and demonstration of Masaoka’s pioneering interactive work using the biological response of plants. Masaoka’s works with plants have been exhibited at NIME, IRCAM, France, the Gutenberg Sound Art Academy, Germany Temple Contemporary, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Lincoln Center Out of Doors (Instrument Making). Masaoka is a sound artist and Associate Professor at Columbia University, and the Director of Sound Art Program.

TELLINGS: Post-human vocal concert
Time: 3:00−7:00pm

Each composition performed in TELLINGS presents increasingly inter-species, inter-organ, feminist, and collaborative notions through the languages of plants, animals, and even human organs not normally associated with having authorship or intention. The experimental vocal compositions in solo and ensemble formats question the way we imagine the body of a voice and the “receiver” as well as the divisions made between nature and technology.

TELLINGS is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

TELLINGS is part of the Toronto Biennial of Art’s Co-Relations Program, made possible with the generous support of the TD Bank Group through its corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment.

For inquiries on the TELLINGS program, please contact Myung-Sun Kim, Associate Curator of Public Programming & Learning, at mkim@torontobiennial.org.

About the Toronto Biennial of Art
The Toronto Biennial of Art (the Biennial/TBA) is a new international contemporary visual arts event that is as culturally connected and diverse as Toronto itself. For 10 weeks every two years, the city will be transformed by exhibitions, talks, and performances that reflect the local context while engaging with the world’s most pressing issues of our time. In an effort to make contemporary art available to everyone, the Biennial’s free, citywide programming aims to inspire people, bridge communities, and contribute to global conversations from a variety of perspectives.

Visit: torontobiennial.org, @torontobiennial, and #TObiennial19 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Media Contacts
For additional information, Libby Mark or Heather Meltzer at Bow Bridge Communications, LLC, Toronto: +1 647-544-8441, New York City, +1 347-460-5566; info@bow-bridge.com.