Editorial
Just giving you a “heads up,” as one says in Alberta, that the latest issue of eContact! features the Canadian Prairie Region, the western-central Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
In eContact! 9.2 Canadian Regions: The Prairies, the work of Prairie artists Steve Heimbecker, Ken Gregory and Philip Baer are presented. Vincent Bonin’s interview with Heimbecker surveys the Saskatchewan native’s background and creative approach over the years, and discusses individual projects and works. Ken Gregory’s work with DIY interface design and both the practical and philosophical aspects of his approach to media and sound creation is considered by Tapio Mäkelä. Finally, Jason Poon ponders the relation of body to sound in the context of Philip Baer’s work with interactive sound systems.
Carrie Alain and John Abram offer a view into the things that influence and impact their own creative approaches, and Patricia Lynn Dirks analyses Jonathan Harvey’s Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco. Örjan Sandred gives an overview of upcoming changes to the University of Manitoba’s Studio Flat, in regards to the facilities, production and research in this Winnipeg centre.
The newest SONUS gallery (curated playlist) has been prepared by David Ogborn and looks at the similarities and differences between 13 works by prairie composers. All these works are found in the CEC’s online Jukebox, SONUS, and can of course be listened to while reading the article.
In eContact! 9.2 you we have also compiled lists of venues and recurrent events where electroacoustics — in its many forms — can be found in the Prairies. These lists are presented as WIKI pages: a number of people have contributed to this resource, and continue to do so; we welcome you to contribute as well, to help keep these pages dynamic and relevant for years to come!
Complementing these lists is Deanna Radford’s “Sound Out,” a list of upcoming activities across Canada and abroad — live events, CDs, projects, etc. — involving prairie-born and prairie-based electroacousticians and sound artists. Check out Deanna’s article to find upcoming Prairie activities near you.
A number of book, festival and conference reviews round out the issue, while Kevin Austin’s “Kwik Picks” gives a succint overview of recent addition to SONUS.
Articles on, reviews of, reflections about prairie-born and prairie-based electroacousticians and sound artists provide an overview of Prairie-related goings-on in eContact! 9.2 Canadian Regions: The Prairies. Enjoy the reading! (And stay tuned for the upcoming eContact! 9.3 Mastering in Electroacoustics, with Guest Editor Dominique Bassal.)
jef chippewa
CEC Administrative co-Director
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