VIOLET
GAVE WILLINGLY

Violet is an experiential performance piece that integrates audio and video elements to create a deeply immersive and participatory experience. The project evolved from eight musical cues built for a documentary my sister created about our mother's experiences at engineering school during the 70s expanded into a full-length ambient album with 45 minutes of meditative music designed for emotional processing. 

This project explores the harsh realities of gender discrimination and the profound grief and anger associated with it. My own experience of processing sexualized violence, which was kept secret, has been a crucial part of this journey. Sharing these experiences has played an essential role in my healing. Engaging the public will provide a meaningful opportunity to connect with communities affected by gender discrimination, sexual violence, and the challenges of navigating male-dominated industries, which my sisters (cinematography& tech), my mother (engineering), and I (production and audio) have worked in. Creating public space for processing these experiences is a radical act in an isolated society, fostering connection and collective healing.

The artistic choice to use only vocal sounds has had a powerful impact. Similar to some trauma processing therapies like EMDR, this project embraces the idea that processing doesn't always require detailed dissection. As part of the creative process, I plan to actively engage audiences through digital and physical channels, inviting them to submit written letters. These letters will be collected and processed in real-time during performances, transforming their contents into a powerful vocal lead, processed to be instrumental or non-lyrical in nature.

May - June 2025: Research, Creative Development, and Experimentation

• One month in qathet at Noise Machine, hosting mentor Vanessa Goodman.

• Partnerships with the qathet arts council for studio and project support, the Powell River Academy of Music for equipment, and the Max Cameron Theatre for theatre space and technology

• Hiring local technical talent, such as Trevor Sytnick (tech, projections, lighting) and Lyell Woloschuk (lighting, rigging, micing)

• Community workshop in June sharing events at the qathet art centre, supported by the qathet arts council

August 2025: Research Phase and Analysis with support from ADA-X

• Work week in Montreal at the ADA-X studio space in early August

• Workshop/sharing session in Montreal with Claire doing live Video Jockeys and Vanessa and I testing with the community

• Sharing of progress at Mutek

Proposed Activities:

• Community Engagement: Call for letters from the public through social media and artistic networks.

• Live Video Elements: Integrate the letters into the live video presentation.

• Interactive Element: Set up stations where audience members can type or handwrite their letters, which will be processed and projected in real-time. The typed words can trigger visual and vocal effects, creating a dynamic and interactive performance.

I will be collaborating with Vanessa Goodman, a mentor with vast experience in innovative performance art, who will contribute significantly to the project's development. Vanessa and I have a preexisting working relationship that has remained structured and professional, and has allowed me to feel significant trust in sharing and collaborating on such a sensitive and personal project. My confidence in Vanessa’s knowledge of performance provides me with an increased level of security and support in the research and experimental stages of this project’s development. Vanessa will join me at Noise Machine and provide a week of mentorship, and after mapping the project and working on performance elements, we will host a workshop and community outreach initiatives. This will utilize partnerships with the qathet arts council, Powell River Academy of Music, and the Max Cameron Theatre. By hiring local technical talent, such as Trevor Sytnick and Lyell Woloschuk, we aim to ensure that the work resonates deeply within the rural creative community. 

I will also be collaborating with my sister Claire, who will use 16-mm b-roll film footage, unused in the documentary, as visual projections for the live performance. We will have a period together during an independent residency in Montreal with support from ADA-X studio space. Since we have both participated in this project collaboratively and have felt the familial impacts, Claire is the best person to support me in this project's continued musical and visual exploration.