Sounds of North Spirit Lake and the Community Sound[e]Scapes: Northern Ontario project
Community Sound[e]Scapes: Northern Ontario was a sound and video art project that took place in Keewaytinook Okimakanak communities in Northern Ontario from 2011-2013. It had two parts “Lands and Resource Training” and “Sounds of North Spirit Lake”.
This project was a partnership between K-Net Services, KO communities, and a team of artists and technology experts working at Ed Video Media Arts Centre.
Click the website link at the top to see pictures, hear stories and sounds, watch videos and learn about the work we did together.
The project included workshops in audio recording, editing, and soundscape composition, video and photography and audio improvisation; as well as cultural exchanges with local community members, musicians and artists, including the recording of Elder stories about the changing soundscape.
This project was funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, through the Artists and Community Collaboration Program in Media Arts, and also supported by Ed Media, K-Net, and the University of Regina, in Saskatchewan. It was facilitated by lead artist Rebecca Caines, working closely with K-Net, the Lands and Resources team, the Keewaytinook Internet Highschool, and the local community in North Spirit Lake First Nations.
The Ed Video team included new media artists Nicholas Loess, Rosa Loess, Rebecca Caines, Michael Waterman and John Campbell.
The team would like to thank Franz Seibel and Cal Kenny at K-Net for their incredible work helping us to set up this project. It would never have happened without them.
They are very grateful to Brian Beaton, and the KO team in Sioux Lookout; and to Brian Walmark at KORI for helping us to find a way for the project and community to work together.
They are also thankful to the Chief and Council of North Spirit Lake First Nations for inviting us into the community.