Birds singing, rivers bubbling after months of being coated with ice, and the soft sound of warm winds – these are the sounds of spring.
“Springscapes” by New Adventures in Sound Art is an annual series that highlights the dramatic changes that take place in the natural soundscape from winter to spring and includes installations, workshops and live-stream events.
“The complexity of the natural world is astounding in its diversity and musical nuance,” says Darren Copeland, Artistic Director, New Adventures in Sound Art. “South River is located in a region where the natural world has had many impacts on art making – often cited is the work of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven who visited the region for inspiration. This series begins with exploring the rich spring soundscape of the Almaguin Highlands and expands from there to explore NAISA’s 2025 theme of There is Art in our Nature.”
https://naisa.ca/installations/upcoming-installations/
Almaguin Community Soundscapes is a sound exhibition that surrounds one with the sounds of spring using a multi-channel speaker system and recordings made by residents of the Almaguin Highlands.
The exhibit is open until June 9. You can listen online to the soundscapes on the Aporee Sound Map.
Wetland Earth Day Broadcast
Listen on NAISA Radio
NAISA Radio will be among the international broadcast partners for the Wetland Project on Earth Day (April 22). Listeners can immerse themselves in the 24 hour circadian rhythm of the soundscape from ṮEḴTEḴSEN marsh in un-surrendered W̱SÁNEĆ territory (Saturna Island, British Columbia).
Reveil
Listen on the Reveil Portal or on NAISA Radio
Reveil is a 24+1 hr radio broadcast starting at midnight on May 3 that follows sunrise around the earth on Dawn Chorus Day, traveling west on live audio streams sent in by live-streamers at daybreak from their locations, creating a collective audit of planetary soundworlds over one earth day. To stream the sounds of daybreak from your location visit the Soundtent website.
Soundscape Weekend Intensive
https://naisa.ca/festivals/springscapes/workshops-artist-talks/
The annual soundscape weekend intensive takes place on May 2 to 4 at Warbler’s Roost, a rural 14-acre property 22 km west of the village of South River, Ontario. This year’s edition will focus on recording, editing and composing – individually and collaboratively – of soundscape compositions, or field recording works, that respond to the theme There is Art in Our Nature. The skills acquired from the workshop can be applied to sound recording and audio production techniques for a variety of artistic and ecological projects. All levels of experience are welcome.
NAISA welcomes residents in the Almaguin Highlands to contribute the spring soundscapes from their homes (equipment provided). Please visit NAISA or phone/email to make arrangements.
NAISA North Media Arts Centre, 313 Highway 124, South River
and online at https://www.naisa.ca/naisa-radio/
New Adventures in Sound Art is a non-profit media art organization in South River Ontario that is funded in part by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage. NAISA would also like to thank Charles Street Video, Reuten Construction, the Crystal Cave and Gift Shoppe, the Canadian Music Centre and Warbler’s Roost for their sponsorship support of this year’s edition of the Springscapes series.
