Writt-Un: Institutional Living
Sunday, April 28, 2019; 2-3:30PM
Led by Jorma Kujala

Meeting Location: Welcome Figure, in front of Building L, 160 West 49th Avenue, Langara College campus (nearest transit: Bus Route 49, stop # 51969; Canada Line, Langara–49th Avenue Station).
Soundwalk will end near Oakridge.

Society’s concepts, values, rituals, norms and other accepted behaviors and social constructs are relayed to its population largely through social institutions such as the home, school, community and religion, molding individual behaviors to align more with requirements of institutional living. There has been vigorous discussion regarding the many facets of institutions, including their benefits and challenges. Foucault, for instance, considers institutional mechanisms and knowledge structures as one form of ‘apparatus’ or ‘dispositif’ which enhance and maintain the exercise of power within the social body. Moreover, he points out institutions are one way of fixing specific power relations to the benefit of certain people.

This soundwalk traces the lines of sounds (and absence of sounds) of various institutions that have a direct impact on our city, including its citizens’ behavior and existence. In this sonic excursion, we will listen in on some of these power structures, while considering ways that behaviors and thoughts are regulated, how voices can be marginalized, and how institutions can affect power relations to the benefit or detriment of others.

Sonic Separation
Sunday, May 5, 2019; 2-3:30PM
Led by Alexander Formosa

Meeting location: False Creek Community Centre (1318 Cartwright Street). Meet outside, on the dock, at the south-east corner of the community centre.
Soundwalk will end near Granville Island.

The neighbourhood of South False Creek lies, roughly, in the middle of Vancouver. While surrounded by the typical characteristics of a major North American metropolis, this tranquil waterfront land can simultaneously feel at the centre of, and pleasantly removed, from the rest of the city.

Many discussions have been had about how the sounds surrounding us influence our life. From growing up as a child around a particular sonic signature, or moving to a place with new, unfamiliar noise, we are often aware of how aural information affects us. But what about the absence of sound? What about the absence of particular sounds in a location that usually has them?

The fascinating history of False Creek has seen parts of it transform from traditional First Nation territory, to industrial zone, to low-cost housing. On this walk, Alexander Formosa will guide listeners along a small section of the unofficial border of False Creek, as we take note of the airgap that separates False Creek from its surroundings. Along the way, we shall step in to some of those lands – industrial, indigenous, public housing – and try to become aware of the sonic environment that helped shape this unique neighbourhood as it prepares for more changes to come, both physically and aurally.

Photo: Jorma Kujala.