Vibrant Basin WKRAC

Cranbrook artist, performer and puppeteer Marcel Dou Roig speaks about his artistic trajectory from Barcelona to Chile to New York to Florida (where he met his Canadian wife) and finally to Cranbrook. Marcel talks about the importance of public art and how his core artistic values can inspire others.

Tegan Whitesel brings traditional Métis material arts to her jewellery making practice. Working from her Kimberley home studio, Tegan fuses beading, hide and metal work into her designs, creating wearable art that integrates the old with the new. Tegan speaks to Vibrant Basin host Shayna Jones about learning and maintaining traditional Métis beading practices in her community. She describes the channel, or blood memory, that she feels between past and present when she is immersed in her work.  Mentorship, motherhood and community are key components of Tegan’s practice. “Motherhood forces you to distill your passions and make them a priority.” She talks about facing her fears of “not doing it the right way,” of not being “Métis enough.” Her advice for facing your fears when starting to learn something new? “Give yourself some grace and have your own back. Be brave.” You can find Tegan’s work on her website, teganwhitesel.com, as well as on Instagram and Facebook. The opinions and perspectives shared by our podcast guests are their own and do not represent the views of West Kootenay Regional Arts Council or its partners.

Zaynab Mohammed is an award-winning performance poet based in Nelson. Her current project is a one-woman show called Are You Listening? which melds poetry, movement and storytelling. Zaynab and Vibrant Basin host Shayna Jones discuss the evolution of the piece, which began as a series of 47 interviews with individuals on the art and act of listening.  “I started by listening to myself. It was hard and profound.” Zaynab talks about her poetry, her heritage and sharing her very personal work with audiences. “I feel our life is poetry and some people use words to describe the little day-to-day things.” Artists see the world and reflect it back.”Read more about Zaynab and her work on her website, zaynabmohammed.com, and on Instagram, @poemsbyzaynab. The opinions and perspectives shared by our podcast guests are their own and do not represent the views of West Kootenay Regional Arts Council or its partners.

On this episode of Vibrant Basin, host Shayna Jones talks to singer-songwriter Tenise Marie. Tenise is a multi-instrumentalist who grew up in Argenta, a small, remote community at the north end of Kootenay Lake.  “That physical and mental space allowed me to access creativity. I was inspired to fill the silence.” Tenise describes her deep respect for the land that raised her and the themes of nature that have emerged in her song writing. “Song writing has always been a form of therapy for me. It helps me to understand myself better.” Tenise speaks about her latest work, “Argenta to Atra,” which focuses on her journey of reconnection with her Assyrian heritage. A Canada Council research grant funded a trip to northern Iraq, where she immersed herself in Assyrian music, culture and language. The songs that Tenise wrote based on those experiences reflect different experiences of home.  For more on Tenise Marie and her work, you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and on her website, tenisemariemusic.com.
 
The opinions and perspectives shared by our podcast guests are their own and do not represent the views of West Kootenay Regional Arts Council or its partners.

Shayna Jones speaks with Nelson documentary filmmaker and sound designer Carlo Alcos about his upcoming film Outsiderness, a personal view of identity and belonging.

Sarah talks to Vibrant Basin host Shayna Jones about the joys and challenges of cocooning in a rural and remote community while maintaining an artistic practice. Consciously slowing down has not only given Sarah more time with her family and her garden but has allowed her to focus in on kind of work she wants to make.