Audience members have shared…
“…nothing has struck my soul quite like this did. From the actual piece (and dazzling artistry) to how it was captured and shared, there was not a single moment that wasn’t perfect.”
“From the actual piece (and dazzling artistry) to how it was captured and shared, there was not a single moment that wasn’t perfect.”
“That was fabulous! So organic and masterful. An amazing work of wit and colour.”
“WE LOVED IT!!!”
“It was a great show! It was very satisfying artistically and I was quite impressed with the technical aspects of multi-angle camera work with live transmission!”
Graveyards and Gardens
With this work, Vanessa Goodman and Caroline Shaw offer many pleasures, but two are of special note. Firstly, there is the chance to see a visual and sonic album emerge before one’s eyes: what these two artists make will live on, and this live-streamed genesis is, among other things, a powerful display of the creative process.
The second pleasure is a unique, revelatory melding of movement and sound. In Graveyards and Gardens, what is heard and what is seen do not merely complement each other, as they might in a more conventional dance performance; instead, they are fused in such a way as to make their effects seem indistinguishable.
The performance takes place among 400 feet of orange sound cables and an arrangement of plants—nature and technology being another synthesis the artists explore. Things begin with a long passage featuring an array of sounds—some come from tape decks, some from a record player, some from old Edison wax recordings.
This auditory wash slowly diminishes until only one part is left; the energy then shifts, and dance mixes with music until they become one. Entrancing, enveloping, and ultimately liberating in its innovations, this is experiential art at its best.
The 52-minute performance is filled with Caroline’s joyous, fresh melodies and body-swaying beats alongside found sounds, old recordings, and the energizing rush of Vanessa’s vivid and ethereal movement.
When Vanessa performs Graveyards and Gardens live from the ANNEX, you’ll discover unique details and perspectives through an immersive, multi-camera, 1080p high-definition real-time broadcast.
For an enhanced audio experience, please use headphones.
Performance team:
Conception, Creation and Performance: Vanessa Goodman and Caroline Shaw
Audio Design: Eric Chad and Kate De Lorme
Lighting Design: James Proudfoot
Stage and Costume Design: Vanessa Goodman and Caroline Shaw
Production Management: Taylor Janzen
Orange Cable: Ira Jordison
Technical Director: Levi Pease
Film Team:
Collide Entertainment
Producer: Joanna Dundas
Technical Director and Editor: Mike Southworth
Gimbal Operator: Paul Watt
Camera Operator: Aaron Nathanson
Co-produced by Vanessa Goodman & Caroline Shaw
Presented by Music on Main as a PuSh Partner presentation.
Co-commissioning partners Music on Main and The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Created with the generous support from The Canada Council for the Arts, British Columbia Arts Council, Lēna, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Action at a Distance, SFU Woodwards, The Scotiabank Dance Centre, and CCOV.
This presentation has received generous support from:
Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA), Jim and Lisa Peers, David Cousins, and an anonymous sponsor.
Listening. Together.
Music on Main’s 15th Season celebrates the outstanding artists, communities, and music we’ve experienced together over the years. Listening together has always been our deepest purpose, and continues to drive all that we do, especially in challenging times like these.
