For the Humming World

Audiovisual project | Spring 2023

‘For the Humming World’ is a multidisciplinary composition, performance, and visual project inspiring connections, collaborations, and creative exchange in musical composition, featuring six newly commissioned audiovisual works all united through the simple everyday art of humming.

Humming is an activity that can be either involuntary (such as
humming to ourselves as we walk along a noisy city street) or intentional (like humming along to our favourite song). Because it is so intrinsically connected to our voice, to the movement of our bodies, to our feelings and emotions, it takes on a deeper significance than a mere musical background. It forges for us a deeper connection to our everyday environment – from the humming of the planets or the shifting of tectonic plates, to the mechanical humming of cars on the motorway to a whirling chainsaw, or the intimate hum of a buzzing bee to a purring cat. Often these hummings go unnoticed or intentionally ignored. However, they are intrinsic to our sense of connection to the world and one another. This can be felt all the way down to our most vulnerable moments, whether it be a parent humming a lullaby to a child, or the rasping hum of a loved one as they take their last breath.

Humming World logo by Sukhi Kanniks

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts de Montréal

Videos from Part I

videos from Part II

Featuring

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