FOREST at 8EAST

Presented by the NOW Society at 8 East Pender St.

An installation that moves through 8EAST
Cascading 30-minute time slots, groups of 5,

between 8 to 9pm and 9:30 to 10:30pm (see below)

Featuring:

Olivia Shortt (Tkaronto) – baritone sax

Anne La Berge (Amsterdam) – flute and electronics

Mind of a Snail - projections

Haley Bird – oboe

Aidan Edwards – bass clarinet

Lisa Cay Miller – piano

FOREST is created by the composition and collaboration of

Mind of a Snail, Olivia Shortt, Anne La Berge and Lisa Cay Miller

Tickets $15 in advance | Seatings are in groups of 5

Limited drop in tickets by donation | 5 available each hour

please arrive 10 minutes early, outdoor seating on the 8EAST Plaza will be available

8:00 – 8:30 pm advance tickets 5 available

8:10 – 8:40 pm advance tickets 5 available

8:15 – 8:45 pm advance tickets 5 available

8:20 – 8:50 pm drop in, by donation, 5 available

8:25 – 8:55 pm advance tickets 5 available

8:30 – 9:00 pm advance tickets 5 available

9:30 – 10:00 pm advance tickets 5 available

9:40 – 10:10 pm advance tickets 5 available

9:45 – 10:15 pm advance tickets 5 available

9:50 – 10:20 pm drop in, by donation, 5 available

9:55 – 10:25 pm advance tickets 5 available

10:00 – 10:30 pm advance tickets 5 available

From NOW Society Artistic Director Dr. Lisa Cay Miller

What are the meaning of FOREST sounds, FOREST sights? You ears extra attuned, you hear a a tree branch break but never see the bear. Your eveys searching, you see a silent animal. The squirrel stares silent, or chatters rebuke. The bear clacks it’s jaws in unease. Robins sound warning of a nearby owl. Owls and elk in the night send their erie calls. Birds sing profusely at one time of the year and the same are utterly silent at another, unseen in the heights of trees. Trees and mitochondria send their waves in vast networks, unheard by us but seen in full view.

We are dominated by urbanity, those systems, sounds and sights have become normalized, most terribly resulting in the displacement and genociding of original peoples and protectors of land, the extinction of creatures, and the devastation of ecosystems. Being with nature is a break, a hike, a day trip, a vacation. Valuing the natural is positioned as radicalized (land protection, land back, stewardship, ‘organic’ ‘off grid’ and ‘buying local’) as alternative rather than usual, even as the consequences of distancing ourselves from balance are more and more starting to be felt.

One of my goals in the FOREST project, the program, the topic, the set design, is to envision our deeply profound state - connected. Hard to put into words, art may give us entry. With our wonderful guest artists Olivia Shortt, Anne La Berge and Mind of a Snail, we will be creating an illusion of FOREST at 8EAST. With the tension of location in an urban setting and entry into this representative environment, we might perhaps be reminded to notice, to listen and to look.

This installation involves moving light and sound. Audience members will be guided to move through seated stations. The first 20 minutes of viewings will be at the perimeter of 8EAST in close proximity (3 - 4 feet) to gentle cloth screens. This installation will not be wheelchair accessible. Accessible viewing opportunities can be arranged by contacting [email protected].

Invasive Species 101 with Adrian Avendaño

Ever wondered what invasive species live in your neighbourhood and local parks? How can we differentiate between invasive non-native plants and native plants in our region ? What other invasive species affect our region currently? What can do we about them? Join us for a presentation by Adrian Avendaño , Executive Director of the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver to learn how we all have a part to play in maintaining biodiversity in our region!

(They/Them): Anishinaabe, Nipissing First Nation) Olivia Shortt is a storyteller and performing artist working across Turtle Island and internationally. They are a vocalist, noisemaker, improviser, composer, sound designer, video artist, drag artist, curator, administrator, and producer. Shortt was featured in the 2020 Winter edition of Musicworks Magazine and was described as a “glittering, rising star in the exploratory music firmament.” They have appeared on CBC Kids ‘Gary the Unicorn and their voice has been used off-screen for Stephen King’s ‘In the Tall Grass’ and Season 3 of ‘Chucky’; they made their Lincoln Center debut in 2018 with the International Contemporary Ensemble; they made their film debut, onscreen playing saxophone, in Atom Egoyan’s 2019 film Guest of Honour; and recorded an album with their duo Stereoscope, two kilometres underground in the SnoLAB (an underground laboratory specializing in Neutrinos and dark matter physics in Northern Ontario, Canada). Shortt performed and premiered Raven Chacon’s (Diné) ‘For Olivia Shortt’ at The Whitney Museum of American Art (NYC) as part of Chacon’s series of solo works 'For Zitkála-Šá' during the 2022 Whitney Biennial and has performed the work at The Holland Festival (Amsterdam) and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (Washington, DC).

https://www.olivia-shortt.com/

Anne La Berge's passion for the extremes in both composed and improvised music has led her to the fringes of storytelling and sound art as her sources of musical inspiration. She is a composer/performer in the Amsterdam-based ensemble MAZE, works as an improvisation and live electronics coach and teaches at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague. She can be heard on the Largo, Artifact, Etcetera, Hat Art, Frog Peak, Einstein, X-OR, Unsounds, Canal Street, Rambo, esc.rec., Intackt, Data, verz, Real Music House, Relative Pitch, Carrier, Present Sounds Recordings and Splendor Amsterdam labels. Her music is published by Frog Peak Music and Alry Publications; and her Max-patch based compositions are available from her privately. She is a founding artist of the Splendor Amsterdam collective where she produces small scale concerts and she is the director of the Volsap Foundation that produces innovative music projects and international tours.

http://annelaberge.com/

Mind of a Snail is a shadow puppetry duo currently based out of Vancouver B.C. Canada, on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlil̓wətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Since 2003, Chloé Ziner and Jessica Gabriel have been developing a multilayered style of visual storytelling using handmade projections. Their performances play at the intersection of puppetry, visual arts, clowning & music. They have recently been integrating live video and interactive live-streaming into their tool kit. As artistic collaborators, they love exploring beyond the boundaries of traditional theatre, and creating magical immersive experiences for their audiences. Mind of a Snail’s shadow theatre is like an early animation created live before your eyes.

https://mindofasnail.org/

Adrian Avendaño is an environmental technician and interdisciplinary artist based in Surrey-Vancouver, Canada [stolen lands of the q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), Semiahma (Semiahmoo), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples]. He holds a Diploma of Technology from BCIT’s Forest and Natural Areas Management program, which has enabled him to work in many public institutions around the Lower Mainland. In 2020-2023, Adrian served as the Stewardship Program Manager at Still Moon Arts Society. In this position, he did significant work with engaging community stewardship in Renfrew Ravine Park, Renfrew Community Park, and Still Creek. In addition, he created an invasive plant management plan for the Government of Chile’s – Ministry of Agriculture: National Forest Corporation in Torres del Paine National Park. Adrian is also an emerging performer in Vancouver’s music scene, collaborating both locally and abroad. He studied music at Vancouver Community College and has participated in many sound initiatives in Vancouver, Peru and Chile (VIVO Media Arts Salmon Sounds, Memorias Sonoras del Cusco II, and Tsonami’s International Sound Art Festival). He is interested in the intersection of ecology, open-source technology, community engaged art, and restoration.

Host or Publisher NOW Society