The Singing Field:
A Performance of Environmental Vocal Exploration
Saturday, June 26, 2021 | 10:15 - 11:00
Screening of pre-recorded performance with live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English with certain segments spoken in French. No ASL or LSQ interpretation, or translation will be offered for this event.
NICOLA ODDY
The Singing Field is a performance in which six singers explore the environment through their voices, engaging in singing as a practice of listening-awareness. They engaged in vocal improvisation in six different locations over the summer of 2020, when COVID was in play making singing a feared activity. They sang outside, masked, and at a distance, in six locations including a reverberant tunnel, at the roaring falls of a dam site, on an active pedestrian mall, on a busy roadside, an urban trail and a marsh, exploring the environment through the voice as a listening practice. The performances were filmed, resulting in a mini video documentary, created by Hasi Eldib of Ottawa ON.
I created this 28-minute film to contextualize my PhD dissertation. In my dissertation I ask, can those who participate in singing in place experience a change in perception of self and place? In the film, performers discuss how the singing has provided new perspective on the urban landscape, and on the self. We will view the film together and then engage in discussion together.
The film is closed-captioned and video-described making it accessible for blind, and deaf viewers.
The described video version is below:
Bio
I am a music therapist, branching out from my field to expand on my understanding of how singing in place can help us learn more about our selves and the places in which we are singing. I am a PhD candidate in Cultural Mediations at Carleton University studying the social implications of improvisation and performance under the guidance of Jesse Stewart, PhD, Ellen Waterman, PhD of Carleton University and Yana Meerzon PhD of the University of Ottawa.