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TROUBLED WATERS / EAUX TROUBLES

Soundscapes on the theme of water.

Headphones are strongly recommended.

Press play to begin;

scroll down for artist bios & statements.

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Jack is an artist based in Victoria currently studying for a BFA in Theatre at UVic. While focusing on performance, Jack utilizes his knowledge of sound mixing to bring his two passions together with theatrical sound design. His sound design work can be heard throughout various professional and semi-professional productions at the University.

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Thank you for taking the time to listen to Water Privilege and for reading this statement. Upon being given the task to create a soundscape for “water,” I was immediately reminded of the number of baths I would take as a kid/pre-teen, and I wanted to re-create both the imagination and serenity created in my head while submerged under the water. Upon reflection, I now see an important issue: what a waste of water! This led me to think about our water privilege here in most parts of Canada, including how the water we bathe in is the water we can drink (ideally before it hits the rest of the bathwater). I remember being in baths for hours and getting so overheated that I would turn the tap to “cold” and drink straight out of it! Also: what haunts the water we drink before it reaches our lips and our naked bodies: The ships in the shipyard? The sharks and the whales? The Earth?

I’ve used The Beach Boys’ Heroes and Villains, a jaunty song about California's early history and colonialization, within this piece to reflect the issues that underlie my privilege of having access to clean water while also being a song that I’ve listened to for years in the bath or the shower (as I love having soundtracks to my water adventures). With the release of The Smile Sessions in 2011, 45 years after the original conception of the unfinished Beach Boys album Smile, the world got to hear what Brian Wilson’s magnum opus should’ve sounded like. The sessions include a plethora of outtakes and background sessions to Heroes and Villains, which can be heard haunting the imagination of you, dear listener, while enjoying your underwater adventure.

 

Content Warning: Sudden and loud noises, Depiction of an underwater attack, private bathing sounds.

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Zoey Collins (she/they) is a current 4th year student in the University of Victoria’s theatre design program. Her focus area is in lighting design, however this project was an opportunity for her to broaden her skillset. She currently works in the industry as a Venue Technician but aspires to one day be a Production Manager or Lighting Designer. After graduating from the Technical Theatre Program at Capilano Univeristy with a diploma, Zoey set her sights on achieving her Bachelors and soon her Masters in Theatre Production and Design. As a Canadian Zoey is excited to be a part of this project and what it represents. She hopes you enjoy her sound design and would love to engage in more creative projects like this in the future.

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As a born and bred Canadian I first want to acknowledge that I work and play on both the unceded and ancestral territory of the hÉ™nÌ“qÌ“É™minÌ“É™mÌ“ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, the xÊ·mÉ™θkÊ·É™yÌ“É™m (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sÉ™lilwÉ™taɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, as well as the the lÉ™k̓ʷəŋən peoples, Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships and have been stewarded by them since time immemorial. 

I would like to thank you for taking 10 minutes out of your day to listen to Clean Water. When approached with the topic of water I was moved to discuss both the good and bad when talking about Canadian water. My use of discussions of climate change and its effect on Canadian winter sports and the real stories and voices of Indigenous communities in Canada was my way to create the ebb and flow of water. By taking the good with the bad I hope Canada can continue to progress its clean water plans for Indigenous Communities all across Canada.

 

Content Warning: Sudden and loud noises, bathing sounds.

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Jack Storwick

Olivia Wheeler (she/her) is a mixed-race, Chinese Canadian sound designer, composer, and multi-disciplinary artist. Select Recent Credits include Sound Design for Between a Wok and a Hot Pot (Cahoots), It’ll Come to Me (Theatre SKAM), Armadillos (Factory Theatre), Associate Sound Design and Composer for A Wrinkle in Time (Stratford), Associate Sound Designer for Three Women of Swatow (Tarragon Theatre) and Bad Parent (Soulpepper/vACT/PTE), Assistant Sound Designer for Mahabharata (Why Not/Shaw), Every Little Nookie, Hamlet-911, and 1939 (Stratford). Upcoming includes touring her shadow puppet show Quest for the Moon (Theatre SKAM). Having grown up on Vancouver Island and lived most of her life within walking distance of the ocean, the importance of water has always been at the fore-front of conversations. For more of her work, go to www.oliviagwheeler.com 

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What is a land acknowledgment? What are we actually trying to say with it? 

 

Olivia’s soundscape Land Acknowledgment juxtaposes the views on how we acknowledge and treat indigenous land in Canada. The text is created from land acknowledgments from major theatre companies and festivals in Canada and contrasted with samples from protests on indigenous land. We are constantly drowning out the voices that need to be heard. 

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Zoey Collins

Olivia Wheeler

Bio

Bio

Artist Statement

Bio

Artist Statement

Artist Statement

Click here to learn more about the

Canada and Québec Student Exhibit.

UVic Host Day @ PQ2023 coordinated by

Mallory Goodman and Lisa Van Oorschot.

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