Energy is the theme of this year’s Earth Day Celebration, which is taking place on April 23 at Memorial Peace Park. Maple Ridge Artists-in-Residence Robi Smith and Kat Wahamaa, working with CEED Centre, are planning an interactive public art piece highlighting creative energy.
How do we switch on our creativity? How can we recharge? These questions will be the focus of a Mobilizing Our Creativity dialogue facilitated by Smith and Wahamaa on April 19 at the Maple Ridge Library.
“Creative energy manifests in the finished product, the painting, the architecture, the song that is produced. But we hardly ever think about the energetic process that goes into it,” says Wahamaa.
“The act of creating takes time and energy. All of us are creative but sometimes we need a little spark,” added Smith. “With this session we hope to help participants tap into that energy and invite them to have fun recharging at Earth Day - a big boost of creative energy!”
To illustrate the tangible human interaction with electro-magnetic energy, the artists will be using a Theremin to demonstrate. The Theremin (named after it’s inventor Leon Theremin), is one of the oldest electronic instruments, sometimes described as having a sound that mimics the “human voice crossed with a violin”. Remember the theme song to Star Trek, that’s a Theremin. It is played just by the proximity of the human body to the pitch and volume antennae.
Wahamaa and Smith have also invited Vancouver Experimental Theremin Orchestra (VETO) to perform at the Earth Day Celebration as part of their project. VETO is composing a musical piece based on the theme of energy which incorporates air, earth, fire, water. The only Theremin orchestra in Canada, and one of a few worldwide, each member has a uniquely tuned instrument that contributes to the richness of the sound created by this ensemble.
VETO was formed by the participants of a Theremin-building workshop held at VIVO Media Arts Centre in Vancouver, BC, in 2011. VETO has performed locally in festivals, conferences and audio art showcases and continues to perform, present artist talks, demos, workshops and mentor-ship sessions.
“Mobilizing Our Creative Energy” session takes place in the Fraser Room at Maple Ridge Public Library located at 130-22470 Dewdney Trunk Road on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.
For more information, follow the link to the Meet Up group http://www.meetup.com/Nature-Art, or contact Kat Wahamaa at kat@shinyb.ca.
Follow the Earth Day Celebration on the Maple Ridge Facebook page at facebook.com/mapleridgeearthday or the Twitter feed at @mrearthday.