“WIWMPS is a small cumulation of ways of giving thanks to this waterfront and the people that listen to it. These instruments are, as Tau Lewis puts it, time capsules of the experiences shared here and the music made from this project is a way of communicating deep gratitude for this community.”

WIWMPS stemmed from the idea of interacting with the patterns in our environment in various ways. Specifically here, creating instruments out of found materials and interacting sonically with the rhythm of the windmill lights on Wolfe Island. Our environment and community are constant, sustainable wells of inspiration. A practice of connecting with them creatively is something most valuable, and there are endless ways of doing so.

This project was inspired by Pauline Oliveros’ deep listening and sound meditation. Deep listening is, as Oliveros puts it, listening in every possible way to everything possible to hear no matter what one is doing… The performances in WIWMPS had the intention of deep listening behind them. A few of the performances came out of instruction from Pauline Oliveros’ sound meditation / improvisation compositions. This way of tuning into our surroundings creates connection, inspiration, and presence.

Another inspiration for this project was an idea Jinny Yu talked about at her artist talk at the Agnes Etherington in late 2018. Yu talked about being a perpetual guest, both in our communities and environment. This inspired the question: how do we show thanks to the people and places that let us in?

WIWMPS is a small cumulation of ways of giving thanks to this waterfront and the people that listen to it. These instruments are, as Tau Lewis puts it, time capsules of the experiences shared here and the music made from this project is a way of communicating deep gratitude for this community.

Exhibit Works