Three artists, three genres, one venue.
This week Touchstones Nelson will feature the work of Slocan Valley visual artist Tanya Pixie Johnson, Nelson poet Emily Nilsen and Vancouver Island folk musician Oliver Swain. And though the trio are working in different mediums, there are interesting places where their work overlaps.
“Literary arts and music and visual arts are not separate, nor have they ever been separate,” executive director Astrid Heyerdahl told the Star.
“All of these genres are constantly changing, morphing and influencing society, so bringing them together isn’t something new — it’s something that’s always been.”
Johnson’s show Edge of Light has been on display in Touchstones’ main gallery since March, and it’s now serving as the backdrop for other artists in the same way Wayne King’s work surrounded their community yoga class and other events.
Heyerdahl believes the surrounding artwork will influence the way viewers engage with Nilsen’s reading on Thursday and Swain’s concert on Friday.
And performing in unlikely places is something Swain has been exploring during his tour across B.C.
“I think there’s a movement in performance right now to explore non-traditional venues,” he told the Star.
“I’ve been given the opportunity to perform in galleries, in studios, even in people’s homes. Events are being held in beautiful outdoor spaces, and it really feels like promoters and audiences are exploring this.”
Swain added: “Some of my favourite alternative venues are spaces where there’s visual art or artifacts that help create the experience.”
Recently he’s been exploring the Hindu tradition of kirtan, which involves mantras and chanting, while also drawing on African American devotional influences. He’s planning to bring some element of that to his concert this week.
“Group-singing is something that’s been a part of the human experience since time immemorial, but it’s something that hasn’t been a regular part of people’s lives for perhaps a couple of generations in North America,” he said.
“My concert is basically going to include everything from my work as a folklorist and ethnomusicologist right up to my adventures in songwriting.”
Nilsen, meanwhile, will be showcasing her debut poetry collection Otolith — which is named after a bone inside salmon that is used to measure their age.
“If you extract that bone, you can slice it open and see there’s a series of rings. You can count the rings, just like the rings of a tree, and that symbol of a ring inside a ring is really intriguing to me.”
She believes her work dovetails nicely with Johnson’s art, which she checked out during a recent visit.
“I feel privileged to be able to read in that space with Tanya’s work. I’m really intrigued by the intertidal places where two genres overlap, and often something can happen there that’s unanticipated,” she said.
“Her artwork combines layering, and maps, and some of the same themes I’ve been working with in my poetry.”
Nilsen also plans to share an essay that will give some insight into the process of writing her book, which involved visiting the coast and reflecting on the nature of humanity.
“Looking at the occupancy on the coast, and how it’s changed over time, I can’t get away from the feeling that humanity is parasitic in the ways we take over places.”
And that’s something Heyerdahl wants to explore as well, she said, noting that at a recent conference she met with other museum directors to get a sense of how the community is evolving and what role museums will play moving forward.
“We’re all taking about how museums and galleries have a responsibility to be relevant to the community and make an impact. We need to tackle difficult conversations about environmental awareness, social justice and truth and reconciliation.”
She figures the work on display this week is “a sign of things to come.”
Nilsen’s reading is free and will be Thursday at 6:30 p.m. while Swain’s concert is $15 in advance or $18 at the door and will be held the following night at 7 p.m.
