2011 Reflections

So.  December 31st.  I'm one of those people that always looks back on the year and reflects on what I've done, successes, failures, good times, bad times, and tries to figure out how I can make the next year better.

And while it may not seem like it from my volume of output (or entries in this blog), I've been really productive this year with a number of great projects and exciting new opportunities!  It's actually been a really successful year both artistically and personally, and I'm really grateful for all the chances and possibilities that have come my way.

There were a number of high points, and a lot of things to be happy about, some artistic things, some otherwise.  I've commented about them in the past, but sure, why not mention them again?

Kalte, the collaborative project I do with Deane Hughes, released a new album on Petcord in March, "Fissures", which we're both very proud of.  If you haven't already heard it, It's cold and glacial and really quite amazing.  Expect a follow up in 2012.

We also played a pretty awesome show in March at the Ambient Ping to celebrate the release of "Fissures".  Thanks to those of you that made it out, and if you didn't (or if you'd like to relive the experience) you can watch some video here.  We have a few plans to play live in 2012, so hopefully you'll have the opportunity to join us then.

In addition to our work as Kalte, Deane and I also have another artistic project called SubZeroArts and we were honoured to present our installation "The Sound is Watching You" as  part of the 2011 Nuit Blanche art event in Toronto.  It's an all night art exhibit that covers the whole city, and it's kind of a big deal.  Definitely the high point of the year for us artistically.  Thanks to all of you that came out (and there were soooooo many of you!), we were totally thrilled to be part of the event, and we look forward to putting on more installations in, you guessed it, 2012.

The ping things net label continued to release music, though I'll admit that I didn't stick to the monthly schedule that I have in the past.  Regardless of scheduling, ping things put out some great new music including really awesome albums by Lorne David Thomson (two releases in one year!), Sensitive Chaos and more.  I've been working on the 2012 release schedule and I think you're going to like it.

On the mara's torment front, well, I didn't do any shows and I didn't release anything.  Which is kind of a drag because I was hoping that I would.  And I've been promising on this blog for some time now that I would.  But I haven't.  And it's not for lack of trying, I've actually spent a lot of time on mt this past year, but I don't have anything ready for release for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is a shift in the way I work and the software I use.  Here's hoping that I start working faster in 2012 (you'll note that I've learned my lesson and I won't be committing to anything at this point...).

And the year ends on a particularly positive note for mara's torment as I'm very flattered to be the subject of a spotlight by the very cool and amazing Hypnagogue podcast.  You can check it out here and of course if you're not familiar with the Hypnagogue podcast, drop what you're doing, stop reading this post, and get over there right now to listen to John Shanahan's awesomely amazing series of over 70 podcasts.  There's loads for you to discover there...

In other news, I got an awesome new job, and my partner and I went on a vacation to Montreal AND we painted the bathroom!  These (unrelated) things probably don't matter much to you, but they're HUGE things for me.  In fact just yesterday I was telling somebody how very much I enjoy my new job and today, six months after the fact, my partner and I had a discussion about how awesome our bathroom looks and how we really should go back to Montreal.  Huge things.  Absolutely huge things.

So that's about it for 2011.  I have a few things to tidy up around the apartment and then I'm curling up with a good book until it's time for dinner.  A little work on music after that until it's time to go meet my partner when her shift is done and we have a quiet stay at home new year's celebration, just the two of us.  I hope that you all have a wonderful evening, and I hope that 2012 brings you all happiness and success in everything you do!

Happy New Year!

Rik

PS  Waitasec, what do you mean you haven't read my list of cool music from 2011 where I tell you about all the groovy music I've enjoyed over the last twelve months?  Well then, get on over to the ping things blog and check it out!

R.

We're almost there!

Hello again,

We're down to the last two weeks before The Sound is Watching You makes its debut at the AWOL Gallery (76/78 Ossington Avenue) as part of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche on October 1st, and we're happy to report that we've had our first successful dry run.  In other words, we're almost ready to go!  Thanks to all of you who have been so kind as to donate to the project or to buy merchandise or promote us in some way, we're extremely grateful for all your help!

Unfortunately we realize that we're going to need more equipment to fully realize the installation.  As with most productions, you never really know how things are going to work until you put it together in the space, and we've identified some technical issues that need to be addressed before we can go live.  So with this in mind, we're really Really REALLY looking for your help and support to raise some more funding for the show.   To clarify, although Nuit Blanche as an event is funded by the city, our installation is completely independently funded, meaning we have to pay for gallery space, projectors, computers, cables (you can't imagine how much cable is needed...), promo, basically everything.  Needless to say every little bit you can spare helps, so if you'd like to help us out please visit http://www.subzeroarts.com to make a donation by Paypal or Credit Card or to buy some merchandise.  We'd really appreciate it and you'll be able to enjoy the show knowing that you helped make it happen!

Some of you have been telling us that you don't quite get what we're trying to do with the show, so to that end we've added a short video that captures the idea on our website.  Click on the main video image at http://www.subzeroarts.com and you'll be able to see a little bit of what it's all about.  They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so consider this short video an essay on what The Sound is Watching You really is.  Hopefully you'll be just as excited as we are once you've seen it!

BTW, we understand that some of you may prefer to keep updated about what's happening with SubZeroArts and The Sound is Watching You in other ways, so for the sake of convenience, here are the various social media sites you can use to keep up to date with us.  By all means, feel free to post these links to your friends to tell them about what we're doing!

Follow SubZeroArts on Twitter - @SubZeroArts

Like SubZeroArts on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/SubZeroArts/192063490853801?sk=wall

RSVP to The Sound is Watching You on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=214157318632643

SubZeroArts website - http://www.subzeroarts.com

That's all we have to share with you right now, we hope to hear from all of you soon, and we very much hope to see all of you on October 1st at The Sound is Watching You!

Rik and Deane/SubZeroArts
http://www.subzeroarts.com

Thanks so much for your support!

Just an update to say thank you to everybody who has helped out The Sound is Watching You by making a donation, buying some merch, promotion, or just mailing us to let us know that what we're doing sounds really cool!

We've made some significant breakthroughs in terms of coding over the last couple of weeks and we're really excited by how quickly everything is taking shape, but we can still use your support to buy better cameras and sound equipment so we can make a great event into an AWESOME EVENT!!!

If you've been thinking of making a donation or of buying some merchandise, why not do it now?
Visit http://www.subzeroarts.com/nuitblanche2011/ to find out more...

The Sound is Watching You

 

Deane Hughes and Rik MacLean of SubZeroArts invite you to attend "The Sound is Watching You", an interactive bio-sonar experience in video and surround-sound that feeds on audience participation. Visitors will enter the installation and their movements will be transformed using echolocation technology into a blend of light, video and 3D audio that constantly re-generates, morphs and immerses the participants. Each visitor becomes an instrument of light and sound — moving, dancing, and gliding through a space that they have helped to create. By entering the space, you become part of the exhibit. You aren't just looking at art in "The Sound is Watching You", you are the art!

"The Sound is Watching You" is an official project at Scotiabank Nuit Blanche on October 1st, 2011 at AWOL Gallery in Toronto.

Visit http://www.subzeroarts.com​ / to find out more about "The Sound is Watching You", and how you can help make it happen!