Radio Art Salon

Curated by composer Darren Copeland, the Deep Wireless Radio Art Salon features three sound art installations.

Of the three, I was most interested in Journee sonores, canal de Lachine. I first learned about the project when I interviewed one of the participants, sound artist Anna Friz, during the Deep Wireless festival last year. The project, undertaken during a phase of urban renewal, involved a whole slew of earwitnesses, sound designers and editors, writers and photographers. Aside from the fact that I was already intrigued by the project, Journee sonores was my favorite because it is the most interactive. The installation is equipped with a pocket fader loaded with 16 tracks of audio recordings, allowing the listener to create their own soundscape by raising and lowering the faders.

Conceived by Andra McCartney, the Lachine project attempts to document shifts in the evolving soundscape while "point[ing] to the relationships among different [sound] sources, such as auto and boating traffic, cyclists, industrial/construction machines and pedestrians.” Recorded on minidisc during a series of soundwalks, Journee sonores draws attention to the everyday sounds around us, encouraging each of us to explore the "murmurs of everyday life."

The Radio Art Salon is in the Drake Hotel back lobby until May 31st -- check it out while you can.