Exhibition opening September 11 2011!

Coming up at the Tree Museum near Gravenhurst Ontario.

Boreal version: Sun Suckers

It's almost time to head out to Ontario to install this new work. There's just a bit of sound composition with the micro-controller programing to be done this week. Then prep the van, load up and roll!


Freshly glued waiting for the bases to be done.




Test set up in the lot at Atomic.



Close up of speaker assembly.

Report from Jack Pine

The Boreality Project continued with our Summer trip to the forest. We had planned to go to Bloodvein Reserve on the east side of Lake Winnipeg but when we got to the the ferry crossing on the west side of the lake, the ferry couldn' t run due to the super choppy water conditions. We had to re-jig our plan rather than head back to Winnipeg. So we turned back and went in search of the Jack Pine Lodge near Pine Dock. We eventually found it, checked in and figured out what we were doing for the week. There was a lot of rain, grey skies, mosquitos, and windy conditions, but we managed to fill out the week with hikes into the bush, lots of discussion, making fires, wild strawberry picking and eating together. I spent a lot of time trying to find interesting forest sound elements to record. The rain soaked days I spent reviewing and editing the Spring trip recordings and a jam session we had at Sids place. I also worked on some soundscape ideas using some elements from the Spring sessions. A very good week.

more Fisher River

We're home now. Last week we(the Boreality Project) spent the week in Fisher River . We visited with folks, spent some time hiking around Fisher Bay, had a moose meat and bannock lunch cooked at the Creeks on an open fire, participated in a sacred pipe ceremony, and generally looked around the area as part of our research into the Boreal forest. The folks out there were very friendly and supportive of what were are doing.

Fisher River

We've just arrived at Fisher River for another week of research for the Boreality Project . We'll be visiting folks, hiking, observing, giving presentations and such all week.

As the twilight fades the frogs and birds are striking up a symphony of sounds outside my hotel room window.

Hollow Water/Bisset/Pine Falls

I've just started working on a collaborative project with a bunch of artists in association with Prairie Fire Magazine. The project is a celebration of the Boreal Forest which will be primarily output as a concert presentation by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra with a music work composed by Sid Robinovitch, a long form poem by Katherine Bitney, photography by Mandy Malazdrewich and hopefully a soundscape by myself. If anything some of my sound recording will be included with the music composition.

Our first research effort was a winter road trip to Hollow Water, Bisset and Pine Falls Manitoba to immerse ourselves into the Boreal Forest and visit with the people there. We had two days of workshops and wilderness walks with aboriginal elder Garry Raven at Hollow Water, visited and met with some folks at the mining town of Bisset and gave a presentation at a high school in Pine Falls. The weather was bitterly cold with high wind chills down to -38 C or so for most of the week. We had to tend to the fire in the stove in our cabin every two hours. Winter boots were tested to their limits with some failing at one point after ten minutes outside. We all started out as virtual strangers and emerged as friends. So much more can be said. We have three more trips to go with this project.

Hollow Water












Garry Raven shows us how to find the herbal medicine Wekay(aboriginal name).





Bisset