Mobilizing Our Creative Energy
Energy is the theme of this year’s Earth Day Celebration, April 23 at Maple Ridge Memorial Peace Park, and my fellow Artist-in-Residence Robi Smith and I, working with CEED Centre, are planning an interactive 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 we are offering on April 19 at the Maple Ridge Library at 7pm.
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 the making. The act of creating takes time and energy. All of us are creative but sometimes we need a little spark. With this session we hope to help people tap into their creative 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, we'll 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 to Star Trek, that’s a Theremin. It is played just by the proximity of the human body to the pitch and volume antennae.
We've also invited Vancouver Experimental Theremin Orchestra (VETO) to perform at Earth Day as part of our 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 mentorships.
Mobilizing Our Creative Energy session takes place in the Fraser Room, Maple Ridge Public Library, 130-22470 Dewdney Trunk Road, Tuesday April 19, from 7 – 8:30 pm. For more information, follow the link to the Meet Up group http://www.meetup.com/Nature-Art
or contact me at kat@shinyb.ca.
Follow the Celebrate Earth Day in Maple Ridge Facebook page at facebook.com/mapleridgeearthday or the Twitter feed at @mrearthday.
