STATEMENT:

The unique opportunity to perform multiple times in one night has inspired this piece. HJNC has utilized costume in the past to affect the ways in which the audience receives the performance. It has often been noted that even when there is a negligent visual component to a musical/sound performance, the dress and presentation of the performers still influences the ways the piece is seen and/or recognized. Despite the fact that we may choose sound as our medium, as long as there is a stage and an audience’s gaze we will be judged by our dress during our performance, however consciously. The only ways we have found to escape this have been to play in complete darkness, unseen, with no introduction. Conversely, for this performance we propose to perform the same piece 3 times in completely different “disguises”. All the presentations will be reflective of an aspect of the collective sound but none will be wholly accurate. It is possible that by the audience witnessing the very distinct ways in which we may externalize or “wear” our influences, signifiers and various references, a more complete recognition of the abstracted sound will be possible.

The extremes of gender presentation we will explore in this performance are A) girl children in fluffy dresses with bows and ribbons B) harsh-noise dudes, wearing black hoodies, black jeans and facial hair and C) androgynous magical creatures.  We will play 3 sets that will be basically the same each time. Instrumentation and technique will be a balanced blend of the 3 styles of noise that would be stereotypically associated with each of these 3 archetypes; A) playful sounds, music boxes, glockenspiel, tiny pianos, electronic toys, small percussive instruments and slightly “off” rhythms B) a wall of noise, power electronics, aggressive vocals, feedback and distortion, and C) dreamy, reverb soaked layers of vocals, melodies and new-age, fantasy synth sounds. If the same sounds are played in the same balance each time, the only variable in each performance will be the gender presentation of the performers, their dress, body language and ways of interacting with their instruments and each other. Ideally, audience members will see more than 1 performance in order to contrast and compare the ways in which they experience the sounds based on what they see.

Her Jazz is joining BC Ballet, Jojo Zolina and more at the Vancouver Art Gallery for this month’s FUSE event:

Girls! Girls! Girls!
Friday, June 11, 2010
6pm to midnight

Admission: $19.50 (including tax).
Gallery Members Free

Expect all sorts of tweaks on the notion of  the “Modern Woman” – Opera Singers, Drag Queens, Ballerinas, Mustache factories and of course NOISE!

Hope to see you there.
xo

HJNC

This is an invitation of sorts. Her Jazz Noise Collective is currently putting together a compilation of music we’ve made in the last 3 years as well as a collection of writing relating to Her Jazz, Feminism and Noise to be included as a zine.

We would love for the voices in the writing to be as diverse as possible and we welcome you – as someone in our extended community, an audience member, former or current collective participant – to contribute to this collection.

Any kind of writing is welcome & it doesn’t need to be ‘great’. If you want to write about shows you’ve seen, stories, anecdotes, hearsay, theory – it can all have a place in this compilation. Critical writing is especially welcome (we can take it), positive, negative & mixed, as long as it’s constructive.

What we are attempting to do is document Her Jazz as a social art/sound project from various perspectives. Since the collective formed in 2007, SO many people have come and gone, been involved in many different ways and there have been diverse reactions and responses. Our hope is to reflect some of that complexity through the contributions we’re able to collect.

There’s no minimum or max length – we will edit if necessary, in conversation with the writers. The deadline for submission is May 1st 2010. The end result will be a handmade, screenprinted double CDr with a zine in a limited edition of 200. Those who contribute writing will get one.

Send any questions, ideas, or finished writing to:

herjazznoise(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Thanks for everything,

xo HJNC

photo by Mel Mundell

The awesome lady/queer/arts web magazine No More Potlucks has done an article about Her Jazz Noise Collective written by Mel Mundell. A shorter version of this article appeared in Vancouver’s Discorder Magazine a little while ago. Shortly after writing this article Mel joined Her Jazz. Yay!

You can find the article here…

Thanks Mel, and thanks to the awesome people at No More Potlucks for their support.

xo

HJNC

Cris Derkson
Lee Shoal
Attn: Diamond Shoppers
Dance Troupe Practice
Her Jazz Noise Collective
DJ Tapes

with an Electro-acoustic listening session featuring works by Amberleigh forsyth, Anju Singh and Brady Marks

Doors at 8
EA 830 – 930
Performances at 10

$5-10 sliding scale, under 19 free
1965 Main st.

co-produced by VIVO Media Arts Center and Her Jazz Noise Collective

This month’s line-up includes Ora Cogan, Square Root of Evil, a piece curated by Dance Troupe, DJ Vera and Her Jazz Noise Collective performing with a super 8 film by local artist Amber Dawn. Also featured at viewing stations around the room will be videos by Lief Hall, Asa Mori and possibly others.

The Doors open at 8pm, show starts around 9. Admission is $5 – 10 and people under 19 are free. This show in particular will feature pieces with mature content and will be introduced accordingly.

VIVO Media Arts Centre is located at 1965 Main st.

for those who don’t know, women’s studies is a monthly performance series at VIVO which began in march 2008, featuring mostly women making mostly noise and experimental music.

so far this series has featured over 20 all female acts, many of which were debut performances.