August 23, 2024 — Ongoing
Listening Devices is comprised of audio and score-based works in Banff Centre’s Permanent Collection or on long-term loan that are informed by the relationship between sound, listener, and location. Taking place outside of Walter Phillips Gallery, the works in the exhibition are variously intended to be experienced in the woods, amongst the pollinators, and mountainside in Banff, or alternatively online.
Titled after a phrase used by Anishinaabe artist Rebecca Belmore to describe the function of her sculptural work, Wave Sound in amplifying the sound of water at Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park where it was temporarily sited as a part of LandMarks2017, the presented works may be understood as listening devices that each invite consideration of where one is, while also orienting to the lineages of artistic practice that have engaged the region over decades. Initiated in 2024, this long-term exhibition has the potential to expand over time through commissioned works or acquisitions to Banff Centre’s Permanent Collection.
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Government of Canada and Government of Alberta.
