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New Adventures in Sound Art

New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) is a non-profit media arts organization that operates the fully accessible NAISA North Media Arts Centre and Café at 313 Highway 124 in South River, Ontario, Canada. Arts presentation with a focus on sound and listening are the basis of its year-round exhibitions, online broadcasts and performances.

New Adventures in Sound Art is located in the traditional territory of the Anishinabewaki peoples covered by the Williams Treaty (1923) and Robinson-Huron Treaty (1850). New Adventures in Sound Art recognizes the significant ongoing contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples to aural culture in Canada.

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The objectives of NAISA are to foster awareness and understanding locally, as well as nationally and internationally, in the cultural vitality of experimental sound art in its myriad forms of expression. This objective is achieved through the exploration of new sound technologies in conjunction with the creation of cultural events and artifacts.

NAISA’s annual events include the Deep Wireless festival of Radio & Transmission Art, the Sound Travels Festival of Sound Art, the SOUNDplay festival and Springscapes.  These events each have their individual artistic focal points while collectively they provide a comprehensive 12 month overview of experimental sound-based media art in Canada and beyond.

NAISA is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and Canadian Heritage as well as contributions from its supporters. Click Here to make your contribution.


Upcoming Events

Soundscape Weekend Intensive
Dawn / Dusk Reimagined

May 3 to 5, 2024
Warbler’s Roost, 3785D Eagle Lake Road, South River
General $283, Advance Registration Required

The annual soundscape weekend intensive will focus on recording, editing and composing - individually and collaboratively - of soundscape compositions, or field recording works, that reimagine dusk and dawn from the springtime sonic environment at Warbler’s Roost. 
Reflections on Birth
Multi-channel A/V Performance
By Soft Alchemy and Susan Frykberg
May 11, 2024, 7:00 pm
Online via registration. In-person at NAISA North Media Arts Centre, 313 Highway 124, South River, Ontario.
$12 - Click Here for Advanced Tickets
On the eve of Mother’s Day, NAISA presents a hybrid A/V performance with works by Soft Alchemy and the Susan Frykberg that reflect on giving birth.
NAISA 2024 Call For Submissions - ”There is Art in Our Nature”
Deadline May 31, 2024

New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) invites artists of all ages and nationalities to submit works on the theme ”There is Art in Our Nature” for consideration in New Adventures in Sound Art’s 2025 programming.

NAISA encourages artists to submit works for interactive sound installations and sound sculptures. NAISA also accepts works for fixed media audio or audio-visual works, performances, livestreaming and any emerging digital formats that include sound as a primary element.

Particular to this year’s theme, NAISA would like to receive short soundscape “postcards” that provide an acoustic glimpse into the biophony of your home region.
The James Bailey and Andra McCartney Awards

Canadian artists that submit works to NAISA’s general call for submissions are eligible for one of two awards: The James Bailey Award and the Andra McCartney Award. Read more about past winners here.
Borderline (Almaguin Highlands): Collective counter mapping through sonic geographies
By Jessica Thompson
NAISA North Media Arts Centre, 313 Highway 124, South River, Ontario
Pay by Donation

Borderline is a critical mapmaking project that uses sound to illuminate social and economic differences in local geographies. Visitors to NAISA are invited to contribute to a large-scale soundmap of the Almaguin Highlands.

Almaguin Community Soundscapes
April 4 to June 17, 2024. Open 10 am to 4 pm everyday except Tuesdays and Wednesdays
NAISA North Media Arts Centre, 313 Highway 124, South River, Ontario
Pay by Donation

Community Soundscapes surrounds one with the sounds of spring using a multi-channel speaker system and recordings made by residents in the local region. The spring season is a special time of the year in the Almaguin Highlands as the snow melts, the ice breaks up on the lakes and the arrival of insects and birds is loudly announced by the sounds made by peepers. The soundscape of the installation is updated weekly to reflect sounds of the most recent weeks. If you live in the Almaguin Highlands and wish to contribute to Community Soundscapes then please get in touch (naisa at nasia dot ca). Listen to a selection of the recordings by visiting Aporee.org

To contribute sounds from a location you know in the Almaguin Highlands consult these guidelines or visit us at NAISA.
Probes by Chris Cutler on NAISA Radio
Tune in on our web player or using your streaming player
At 6 pm (UTC-4) from April 1 to July 8, NAISA will be broadcasting Chris Cutler’s informative series Probes. In this series he provides an alternative understanding of the mechanisms of musical development over the last 140 years, a period of successive waves of experimentation. Probes comes to NAISA Radio courtesy of Radio Web MACBA where you can listen to the series as a podcast.
Music, or Noise? by Bepi Crespan on NAISA Radio
Tune in on our web player or using your streaming player
Listen to NAISA Radio on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 to 10 pm (UTC-4) to Music, or Noise? a show mixed and curated by Bepi Crespan that provides a two hour snapshot of the latest in experimental composition, field recordings, and sound exploration.
The Moderns by Kevin Press on NAISA Radio
Tune in on our web player or using your streaming player
Monday to Friday from 8 to 11 pm (UTC-4) NAISA Radio will be airing episodes from The Moderns – Contemporary music from everywhere with host Kevin Press. Electronic music, sound art, new classical, free jazz and more. The program’s emphasis is on new releases and artist interviews. Presented courtesy of Radio Regent and themoderns.blog.