1958

In 1958, when I was a boy, my family travelled to Calgary via boat and rail from Copenhagen, Denmark for what was to be a one or two year stay– ostensibly to help my parents re-experience the freedom to travel that had been denied under Nazi occupation during WWII… and, in reality, an adventure. Our proposed short stay became a lifetime of growth and re-invention in a new found home.  

Now, 60+ years later, I have created a sound piece in honour of my parents’ wander-lust. 1958 is a reflective tone poem representing thoughts of travel, arrival, adaptation, growth and inevitable endings. The piece is now playing as part of the Arts Commons +15 Soundscape Project while Arts Commons itself still remains hostage to the pandemic lockdown… although recently the Alberta government announced plans to reopen many public spaces after July 1 (Canada Day). Stay tuned, I think. 1958 is one hour in length and plays as a loop in the +15 hallway between Alberta Theatre Projects and One Yellow Rabbit’s offices at Arts Commons. If you would like to listen to it online it appears below.

1958 is also reflective of the good fortune I have experienced as a theatre sound designer, graphic designer, musician and artist working and collaborating in Calgary for over 40 years. 

Celina Vides has written an article about the piece that can be found at the Arts Commons blog site.