Citizen Soundscape

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About

In the "Citizen Soundscape," sound artist Alex Chen calls on those residing across the country to open their ears to the sonic world of the outdoors. He invites community members to record and submit sounds from their favourite outdoor spaces—anything from nature sounds to the bustle of the city to the hum of an outdoor event. Through this task, Alex encourages people to approach outdoor spaces in new ways, asking them to practice listening by deeply engaging with the nature and people around them. The collected sounds are used to create an immersive soundscape, presented at the Swan Lake Nature House on Lekwungen territory in Victoria, BC. At the in-person presentation, on-site facilitators supply materials and guide attendees to create their own art inspired by the immersive Citizen Soundscape installation and the natural soundscape of Swan Lake. He also invites visitors to explore the area through self-guided soundwalks.

Thank you to Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary for their community partnership on this project. Thank you to Victoria Conservatory of Music, Pacific Opera Victoria, and Tom Lee Music for their additional support.

Links

• Listen to Citizen Soundscape alexchenpiano.com

Organizer

Alex Chen - BC Culture Days Ambassador

Alex Chen is a baritone, collaborative pianist, and vocal coach whose curiosity brings fresh perspectives on a diverse body of musical works.

Alex performs regularly both as a singer and collaborative pianist in the Victoria music community, exploring genres such as art song, opera, and choral music. Moreover, as a faculty member at the Victoria Conservatory of Music he supports a wide variety of students and young professional singers from the piano.

In a past life, Alex handled birds of prey for educational programs and contemplated the physiological factors affecting birdsong during a BSc in Zoology. To keep in touch with his background in biology, he loves spending time outdoors and spotting local flora and fauna. The Citizen Soundscape project combine his loves of the outdoors, education, and the sonic realm.

Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is an accessible green space in an urban landscape and includes two distinct ecosystems, a wetland around Swan Lake and a rocky, Garry oak-forest on top of Christmas Hill. Both habitats are home to an incredible array of rare and threatened native plants and wild animals.

Social media and logistical support through the Victoria Conservatory of Music, Pacific Opera Victoria, and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.