Eleven students from public schools in Edmonton, Alberta, spent a week in Montreal at a research-creation residency at Concordia’s Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance (CSLP).
The LOHxBAM residency – named after the CSLP’s Landscape of Hope project and the Bennett, Argyll, and Metro learning centres in Edmonton – was co-organized by Jessie Beier, a Horizon postdoctoral fellow at the CSLP, and Owen Chapman, an associate professor in the department of Communication Studies and a member of the CSLP.
They were joined by artists Amanda Gutiérrez, José Cortés, Mairin Miller, Lucas Thow, Annabelle Brault, Angus Tarnawsky, Veronica Mockler, and members of the Initiative for Indigenous Futures Lab, who held workshops on soundwalks, documentary work, character design, very low frequency recording, installation art, deep listening, and DJ techniques.
'If I could do this every day as opposed to regular school, I would'
From October 17 to 21, students collaborated on a research-creation project that they presented at the end of their week. The theme of the project was Unseen and Unheard, referring to that which is difficult to see or hear, or requires close attention.
“We gave them some themes to work with and then we fully backed up and let them have a voice,” says Beier. “I’m really proud of how they took that up very quickly and very adeptly.”
“This program made me think about all the things you can hear in a city that your mind just shuts out,” says Evangelina Desjarlais. “I feel like now, when I’m sitting in a room, I can hear the pipes in the walls and the sound of the light humming.”
“I really liked the workshops,” adds Desjarlais. “It was a lot of fun to learn skills that we could use. If I could do this every day as opposed to regular school, I would!”
AO Abdifata says they really learned a lot from the soundwalk with Amanda Gutiérrez, because “we realized that we don't pay attention to how beautiful places can be, sound-wise.”
“What surprised me was the learning style. I’ve never felt like I understood so much when it came to learning, because it was hands on,” says Abdifata. “They gave us the concepts and then let us take control. I loved that part. This will show that students are capable of more than what’s expected of us.”
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