A Nanaimo musician and filmmaker has continued her mission to explore the ubiquity of sound, and how it reverberates in the city.
While the first season of Laura Kelsey's Found in Sound docu-series focused on potential healing capabilities of sound on the body and mind, her second season explores more of the technical and historical aspect of the energy. And how it can be found in unexpected places.
"The soundtrack for Season 2 was composed by plants," Kelsey said. "I used a plant sound device to record local plants and trees, which Nanaimo musician Cal Webb remixed. So, a fern, an arbutus tree and an oak tree were actually the soundtrack for the whole season."
The soundtrack was achieved by using the plant sound device to convert electrical signals emitted by plants into sounds, and then manipulating those sounds into music using audio software.
"When I got the device, I was amazed by what sounds were being created. I think it opens people's minds that ... if even plants can somehow create sound, what else are we missing? I feel if we present how sound is found in unexpected places, it can open our minds to how sound frequency and vibration can be affecting us and our health as well."
Viewers of the series may also encounter ethereal sounds they've heard before, but didn't know what they were.
"More fish communicate with sound than I realize," Kelsey said. "And there are these amazing local fish off our coast that create very loud and beautiful songs."
The filmmaker explained how when speaking with biologist Xavier Mouy, who developed an underwater recording array for studying fish sounds, she learned that male plainfin midshipman fish will congregate close to shores and "chorus" together, which can be heard above and outside the water. Kelsey described the sound as a deep humming similar to chanting monks.
Although some of Kelsey's favourite moments in creating Season 2 included learning new things and meeting new people, she said her absolute favourite moment was getting to pull the whistle onboard the Queen of Cowichan.
In that episode, Kelsey delves into the local history of a sound many Nanaimo residents are familiar with – the sound of the B.C. Ferries multi-chime whistle. She recounts learning about Robert Swanson, who developed the whistles used by most B.C. Ferries, and his whistle farm in the Nanaimo River Valley where he tested his multi-chime airhorns that are now used worldwide.
Found in Sound's second season features six episodes that include discussions with Nanaimo and central Island residents, researchers, museums and societies. It will premiere on Telus Optic TV and Stream-Plus on Sept. 23, and on YouTube on Nov. 25.
Kelsey will also hold a workshop, titled Emotional Expression Through Songwriting and Sound, combining what she learned through producing the Found in Sound series with her own personal creative experiences, at the Nanaimo Art Gallery on Oct. 21, from 7-9 p.m. Tickets to attend are available at www.nanaimoartgallery.ca.
