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A sound piece by Stacey Ho
A slow scan demonstration/performance by Hank Bull and Alex Muir
Networks, Distance, So Much I Want To Say is the first of a series of sound pieces produced by Stacey Ho, current artist in residence at VIVO Media Arts.
As part of her residency, Ho is developing a podcast stemming from her research into the Crista Dahl Media Library and Archive. Sampling artworks, documents, and interviews, this project understands that cultural history is mediated by technology, active in the present moment, and informed by the experiences of many people and communities.
Ho’s interest in slow scan television’s (SSTV)* use by a network of artists’ centres experimenting with communication technology since the 70s functions as a starting point. But rather than centering on the now obsolete but then innovative aspects of SSTV technology, Networks, Distance, So Much I Want To Say instead constructs a narrative with audio snippets extracted from documentation of past events and the testimony of contemporary respondents. The voices become an instrument tracing a shifting vernacular, exposing the dilemmas and fissures of media representation.
Following a communal listening of Ho’s piece, Hank Bull – an innovator in radio, telecommunications, performance and social practices – will present clips from Wiencouver IV, a live exchange of Telephone Music and Slow Scan video between Vienna and Vancouver that took place in 1983. Organized during the visit of Robert Adrian as artist in residence at the Western Front, Wiencouver IV featured live bands, performance art and computer graphics.
This event will be documented by a recently resurrected slow scan robot: a very rare opportunity to be part of a demonstration of the original hardware by Hank Bull and Alex Muir.
* “A prerequisite for slow scan television (SSTV) is a Robot digital scan converter which grabs single frames from a video source and converts them into 8 second sequences of audio tones that can then be sent along a telephone line to another converter“ (Slow Scan Video, VideoGuide vol.1 n.3 issue 3, 1978)
VIVO is located in the homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples in a warehouse space at 2625 Kaslo Street south of East Broadway at the end of E 10th. Transit line 9 stops at Kaslo Street on Broadway. From the bus stop, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight decline. The closest skytrain station is Renfrew Station, which is three blocks south-east of VIVO and has an elevator. From there, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight incline. There is parking available at VIVO, including wheelchair access parking. There is a bike rack at the entrance. The front entrance leads indoors to a set of 7 stairs to the lobby.
A wheelchair ramp is located at the west side of the main entrance. The ramp has two runs: the first run is 20 feet long, and the second run is 26 feet. The ramp is 60 inches wide. The slope is 1:12. The ramp itself is concrete and has handrails on both sides. There is an outward swinging door (34 inch width) at the top of the ramp leading to a vestibule. A second outward swinging door (33 inch width) opens into the exhibition space. Buzzers and intercoms are located at both doors to notify staff during regular office hours or events to unlock the doors. Once unlocked, visitors can use automatic operators to open the doors.
There are two all-gender washrooms. One has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The other is a single room with a urinal and is wheelchair accessible: the door is 33 inches wide and inward swinging, without automation. The toilet has 11 inch clearance on the left side and a handrail.
To reach the bathrooms from the studio, exit through the double doors and proceed straight through the lobby and down the hall . Turn left, and the two bathrooms will be on your right side. The closest one has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The far bathroom is accessible.
Stacey Ho lives on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. Their practice considers intersections of culture, history, and embodiment from a feminist perspective while incorporating language, sound, and gesture. Their work has been presented at Art Metropole, Justina M. Barnicke Gallery (Toronto), Galerie oqbo (Berlin), Artcite (Windsor), RAM Galleri (Oslo), Or Gallery and the Vancouver Art Gallery. They organize Slow Wave Small Projects, a one-week Gulf Island retreat that re-imagines approaches to learning and art-making from feminist, activist, and land-based perspectives.
Born in Calgary, Hank Bull has been associated with the Western Front since 1973. The “HP Radio Show,” with Patrick Ready, first aired in 1976 on CFRO-FM. With “Canada Shadows,” he performed multi-media shadow plays across Canada and Europe. Participation in artist telecommunication networks began in the late 1970s, using Slowscan, electronic text and fax. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Hank organized projects with artists in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. As curator and advocate, he contributed to the growth of artist-run culture across Canada and Québec. These practices informed the co-creation of Centre A, the Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, in 1999. He currently works between painting, music, performance, video and sound.
Alex has been involved with VIVO for several years, in many capacities, including video restoration, installation, distribution, and various programming endeavours. He also programs experimental radio for Soundscapes on CFRO. He has a degree in film studies and comparative literature from the University of Alberta.
