Fusing scholarly and artistic approaches, Dylan Robinson and Cheryl L'Hirondelle will explore the manifold dimensions of sound art by North American Indigenous artists and Indigenous song. The evening will feature works by Raven Chacon, Rebecca Belmore and Tania Willard. L’Hirondelle and Robinson will begin by presenting the work of Navajo artist and composer Raven Chacon. L’Hirondelle will open by singing a graphic score from Chacon’s multi-part composition For Zitkála-Šá. In turn, Robinson will discuss Raven Chacon’s public artwork Singing Toward The Wind Now / Singing Toward The Sun Now, pairing this with a discussion of Anishinaabe artist Rebecca Belmore’s public artwork Wave Sound. In these public artworks, we are presented with devices for listening to the land. The presentation will conclude with both Robinson and L’Hirondelle focusing on Secwepemc artist Tania Willard’s “Surrounded / Surrounding”, a work commissioned for the Soundings exhibition of Indigenous art scores, touring internationally until 2025. While Robinson will discuss the various material aspects of Willard’s installation and the ways in which it affirms forms of Indigenous gathering, L’Hirondelle will present a new premiere of the graphic score that is part of Willard’s installation.
Time and date:
Friday, November 25, 2022, 19:00 (CET)
Location:
mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Joseph Haydn Hall
Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1
1030 Vienna, Austria
or on-line via Zoom
Program
Opening:
Ulrike Sych, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Introduction:
Ursula Hemetek, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Talk and Performance:
Dylan Robinson and Cheryl L'Hirondelle
Q&A session:
Dylan Robinson and Cheryl L'Hirondelle, moderated by Ursula Hemetek
Cheryl L'Hirondelle (Cree/Halfbreed; German/Polish) is an award-winning singer/songwriter and interdisciplinary artist whose family roots are from Papaschase First Nation and Kikino Metis Settlement, on the land now known as Canada. Cheryl’s previous musical efforts have garnered her a 2001 nomination from the Prairie Music Awards (now the WCMAs) for NIKAMOK, two Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards (2006, 2007) for her contributions to the Aboriginal Women’s Ensemble M’Girl, and a nomination for a K.M. Hunter Award in music in 2011. In 2021 she was awarded a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Art. As a songwriter, L’Hirondelle’s focus is on both sharing nēhiyawēwin (Cree language) and Indigenous and contemporary song-forms and personal narrative songwriting as ‘survivance’ methodologies. Cheryl is currently completing a practice-based PhD at University College Dublin SMARTlab/Inclusive Design Research Centre.