The 24th annual edition of the Deep Wireless Festival of Radio and Transmission Art opens in South River on January 9, 2025. This year’s Deep Wireless Festival includes exhibitions, performances, broadcasts and a digital album that explore the theme, ‘There is Art in Our Nature’.
“The complexity of the natural world is astounding in its diversity and acoustic nuance,” says Darren Copeland, Artistic Director of New Adventures in Sound Art. “What are the acoustic influences of nature on the sound-making taking place today? Deep Wireless begins a year long exploration for NAISA’s 2025 programming that amplifies the collaborative relationship between art-making and nature through its 2025 theme, ‘There is Art in Our Nature’. Wireless transmission of all kinds, from the Internet of Things (IoT) prototyping platform to Micro-Radio FM Broadcast, become the conduit for escaping into the natural world.”
Interactive exhibit translates data from trees into images, sounds and smells
The festival starts on January 9th with the interactive gallery installation Foresta Inclusive: (ex)tending towards, by Toronto digital media artist Jane Tingley, which will be on exhibit at NAISA until March 31, 2025. Tingley and her team take data collected in real time in the summertime from a tree in the rare Charitable Research Reserve in Cambridge and translate it into images, sounds and smells that can be experienced in the NAISA gallery in the winter. Collaborating with Tingley on this work are Hrysovalanti Maheras, Faadhi Fauzi and Ilze Briede (Kavi).
(Picture of Jane Tingley interacting with the visual component of her installation (ex)tending towards)
Storytelling Listening Party as part of Art’s Birthday
On January 17th, come for some cake and listen to stories by South River Seniors collected during a weekly storytelling circle where seniors share their stories and reminisce about what South River was like long ago. These sessions have been recorded and edited into a series of individual stories as well as a weekly Podcast South River Seniors Telling Their Stories that is broadcast on NAISA Radio every Saturday at 1pm and available on demand on the NAISA website. January 17th is also Art’s Birthday, a celebration of Art around the World, and we will be sharing the stories and highlights from our party with online listeners.
Tree Frog Radio
Ben Donoghue will perform his piece Tree Frog (Sla-dai-aich) live at the NAISA Gallery and Café on February 1st at 6 pm using recorded interviews about a unique community radio initiative in BC. Interview, EMF and environmental recordings will be modified, looped and layered in real time with an analog/digital modular system. Tree Frog (Sla-dai-aich) in the Gulf Islands uses trees as antenna masts for localized radio broadcasts that deepen a community’s connection to that place. His performance will be broadcast throughout NAISA and will also be live-streamed to online listeners. Vegan meals and Gluten Free baking will be available at the Café for purchase.
Ice Sounds for Ice Follies
The Near North Mobile Media Lab in North Bay is partnering with New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) in the presentation of audio pieces by Shaughn Martel, Lina Choi, Genevieve Kiessling, Kyle Vanderlaan and Stephanie Dupuis on the theme Ozhaashikwaa (The Ice is Slippery). The pieces will use ice sounds recorded on Lake Nipissing and Trout Lake and will be played at two special listening parties during the outdoor Ice Follies Festival. Join us February 15 and 16 at 7 pm on Olmstead Beach, Trout Lake.
(Picture of Hydrophone submerged in ice on Lake Nipissing.)
Radio Art Compilation Album offers unexpected encounters with Nature
The 19th edition of the Deep Wireless Compilation includes works that examine the relationship between people and the natural world. Unheard and unexpected encounters with nature are brought to life. Album available after February 1 on NAISA Soundcloud page https://soundcloud.com/NAISA
New Adventures in Sound Art is a non-profit organization that presents performances and installations spanning the entire spectrum of sound art. NAISA is partially funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. NAISA would also like to thank Charles Street Video, Reuten Construction, and Warbler’s Roost for their sponsorship support of this year’s edition of the Deep Wireless Festival.
What: Deep Wireless Festival of Radio and Transmission Art
Where: NAISA North Media Arts Centre, 313 Highway 124, South River
When: January 9 to March 31, 2025
Cost: Admission by Donation for in-person exhibition
$12 admission for hybrid concert
$25 registration for workshop
FREE for online album and NAISA Radio stream
Info: https://naisa.ca/festivals/deep-wireless/
