Tag: audio

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Opinions

The future of journalism is in your pocket

Graphic by Carleen Loney @shloneys

A slower and more niche medium, podcasting is reshaping the way news is consumed.  

In the years following the pandemic, the landscape of podcasting has undergone a seismic shift. A study conducted by the Nieman Lab found the number of new podcasts launched dropped precipitously, falling by nearly 80 per cent between 2020 and 2022. This startling decline in new podcast creations has left many questioning the state of the medium, wondering if it has transitioned from a gold rush into a more mature market. While the surge in podcasting during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic was substantial, the subsequent drop in new shows and episodes suggests a market favoring ongoing, long-term content rather than limited-run productions. 

Precisely because we are in an era of endless scrolling and perpetually refreshed newsfeeds where the estimated reading time written under headlines determines the worthiness of your read, I believe the future of journalism is in audio—more specifically podcasting.   

Audio journalism refers to journalism that is done via the recording or transmission of voice on the radio, television or internet. Audio has been an important component in journalism since the invention of the radio. I think audio journalism, in particular podcasting, is a  medium that will grow as essential sources of news, storytelling and opportunity within local communities, even if the frenzy of our daily lives and the rapid flow of information has made it difficult for the ordinary citizen to keep up. 

In my opinion, podcasting embodies democratic media creation and consumption. In his work, Silvio Waisbord explains that in the digital age of journalism, we’ve witnessed a profound shift in the dynamics of news dissemination. Historically, news resembled a top-down pyramid controlled by a select few. Today, it has evolved into an egalitarian landscape where anyone can participate in sharing information. I think this transition from vertical control to horizontal openness and equality is embodied by podcasting, and will lead to more sustainable journalism.

Podcasting will thrive because audiences want content on a smaller scale that resonates with their communities. Katerina Eva Matsa, the director of news and information research at the Pew Research Center, highlighted that people are now making deliberate choices in their selection of social media platforms for news consumption, often driven by their personal identities. This shift indicates that individuals are not only seeking factual information, but also a sense of community through their news sources.

I feel that podcasting offers a more immersive and detailed approach to understanding current events and issues. Often readers don’t delve deeper than headlines, which can contribute to the spread of fake news and misinformation. Recent data from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism shows that only 51 per cent of consumers who “read” an online news story actually read the whole article, while 26 per cent read part of it and 22 per cent only looked at the headline or a few lines. 

In our hectic daily lives, where we’re always on the move and easily distracted, podcasts are becoming the go-to way for people to stay informed while doing their everyday tasks like commuting, working out, or doing chores. It’s like having a personal news companion, making news consumption more personal and accessible. 


As trust in local news rises and the focus shifts from reaching large audiences to nurturing communities, I believe podcasting stands as a vital and enduring medium shaping the future of journalism.

Categories
Arts

Stopping time in the Frédéric-Back Park

Taking a look at a new project that encourages Montrealers to put headphones on in one of the city’s largest parks

The Pause MTL app features 10 ambient music pieces each related to a specific spot in the Frédéric-Back Park. Users are invited to listen to the compositions on the location that inspired their creation. This platform allows people to discover a variety of sounds and atmospheres since 10 different music composers worked on the project. Artists Olivier Girouard and Antoine Bédard initiated the project with the goal to create music that enhances peace of mind in times when unpredictability and stress are present in everyone’s lives.

Once users have downloaded the free Pause MTL app on their phone, their listening journey begins by pressing on a button with the slogan “Press Play to take a Pause”. The next page takes them to an interactive map featuring the locations that inspired the creation of the music pieces. While the compositions are ideally discovered on-site, it is also possible to listen to them from home or anywhere the users feel like immersing themselves in this relaxing experience. They are free to discover the application at their own pace.

Bédard and Girouard chose the 10 locations. They were then assigned to the creators randomly. Bédard worked on the Parvis Papineau, a modern plaza on Papineau St. For Girouard, a specific part of the park where people came together to fly kites in the summer of 2021 was his inspiration. The other composers created music based on locations including the soccer stadium of the park, a group of pine trees at the north end of the green space, and a skatepark.

The Frédéric-Back Park is named after an important artist whose work touched on environmental issues.

Each of the soundscapes is accompanied by a description of the preferred way for the audience to be sitting, where to look, and what to think about in order for users to enjoy the experience to the fullest. Composer Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux worked on a piece inspired by two large bronze sculptures located close to 2e Ave. Titled Zénith, the 18-minute composition proposes a soothing atmosphere that feels like being in a spaceship. In his description, the artist encourages the listener to lie down in one of the structures while reflecting on a more sustainable future for humanity.

The Frédéric-Back Park was the perfect location for Girouard and Bédard. Located in the Saint-Michel area, the green space opened in 2017. A quarry and a landfill previously occupied the lot. While the quarry is still visible in the middle of the park, the landfill site has been covered by grass, trees, and paths. Large white bubbles also dot the space. They are meant to capture the methane that still emanates from the waste under the land so that it does not get into the atmosphere.

Pause MTL encourages its users to walk around these white spheres through the work of Nick Schofield. The composer was assigned with sphere 23-27. He created an energetic music piece to accompany the listeners’ steps. These otherworldly bubbles are closely related to one of the themes of the park: sustainability.

The Frédéric-Back Park is named after an important artist whose work touched on environmental issues. Born in Germany in 1924, Frédéric Back moved to France at a young age. He then came to Montreal in 1948. Throughout his career, Back created films related to sustainability and nature preservation. His 1987 film, L’homme qui plantait des arbres, is particularly related to the park. In the animated movie, the protagonist lives on a deserted land that he revitalizes by planting trees.

Bédard explained that he was inspired by Back’s story as well as the visual aspect of the urban space. “You can see some of the most intriguing landscapes in Montreal. It even looks a bit post-apocalyptic sometimes,” he said.

The park is still evolving, with new developments coming in 2022. For Bédard, it adds to its charm. “I guess if this park had to be a person it would be a teenager, and we’re just getting to know each other, but eventually it will be more mature. […] It looks a bit weird to be frank, so does the music, it sounds a bit weird too. So, I think it’s a great match,” he said.

Pause MTL also aims to put forward the work of ambient music composers. Girouard described this type of music as “soft, without punches, not particularly catchy.” He explained that its strength was the sensations it creates, noting that “it is something that touches the emotions, the feelings.”

For Bédard, the project started as a personal quest. He was looking for an escape from his anxiety at the beginning of the pandemic. “When the pandemic hit, I felt helpless as a composer, especially because stages were closed, theatres were closed, and I was wondering how to stay creative in these uncertain times,” he said.

Bédard noticed the healing effect his creations had on him. This sparked the idea of an ambient music project that could be shared with the audience. Girouard’s motivations were also related to music’s benefits. For him, the project is about getting listeners out of their homes, far from their computers. “I wanted to bring something that feels good in a physical space,” he said.

Girouard is used to composing music for the stage. For the creator, projects related to urban environments give him access to an audience he would not usually reach. “I’m interested in talking to these people who haven’t paid for a ticket, but who discover an artist and a space at the same time,” he said.

Girouard and Bédard hope to get Montrealers to discover their city in a different way through this project. In the future, they aim to expand the concept in more green spaces.

The Pause MTL app is available to download on all Android and Apple devices.

 

Visuals by Jonathan Lapalme & Véronique Morin

 

Categories
Student Life

Listen up, people! Three new(ish) podcasts to listen to

Like many folks nowadays, I’m a huge fan of podcasts.

Although many of my favourite shows have been around for years, like My Dad Wrote a Porno, S-Town, and Planet Money (to name a few), there’s a constant stream of new releases hitting the market, and a number of them have become staples in my playlist. Here are three new(ish) podcasts that I’ve been enjoying in 2020.

For the consumer of current-events: Why it Matters

Hosted by Gabrielle Sierra, Why it Matters aims to tell us precisely why we should give a damn about today’s biggest events, issues and stories. Topics include the threat of nuclear war, the accumulation of space-junk, the pros and cons of artificial intelligence and more. Backed by extensive research and in-depth interviews with researchers and analysts, the podcast serves as a quick and effective way to catch up on some of modern life’s biggest topics, calling into question how tomorrow might be changed by the events of today.  

Trigger warning: sexual assault 

For the true crime enthusiast: Chasing Cosby 

Just as the title suggests, Chasing Cosby chronicles the myriad of sexual assault allegations made against Bill Cosby and the events leading up to his consequent arrest. The show is reported and hosted by Nicki Weisensee Egan, the first American journalist to dig into the issue after initial allegations were made in the early 2000s. 

In many ways, the nature of the subject matter in Chasing Cosby makes it difficult to listen to—Cosby was accused of assault by up to 60 women, some of them as young as 15 when the alleged abuse occurred. That being said, the podcast is definitely worth a shot if you can stomach it. Its narrative is ultimately driven by the voices of survivors, their stories exposing the dangerous intersections of the power and predatory behaviour that have come to shape our world today. 

For the culture-curious: The Dream, Season 2

In the first season of The Dream, host Jane Marie dove into the world of multi-level-marketing and pyramid schemes. Now, in season two, she explores the ins and outs of the “wellness” industry, from Bible-approved essential oils to Gwyneth Paltrow’s infamous vagina eggs. At its core, the podcast ultimately serves to dissect our culture’s growing obsession with alternative medicine and the risks associated with its wide-spread commercialization. So if you’re a self-identified skeptic, or maybe you’re just looking to learn something new, this one’s for you.

While this list doesn’t even begin to cover the abundance of new podcasts out there, it’s a start. So next time you’re sitting on a bus, doing your dishes, or walking the dog, try giving these shows a listen. Happy listening!

Categories
Arts

Changing the way we see Indigenous women

The work of Dayna Danger and Émilie Monnet is featured in a new exhibition highlighting Indigenous strength and identity. Photos by Kirubel Mehari.

Concordia grad and fellow artist combine forces to empower each other and viewers

Artist Émilie Monnet and recent Concordia MFA graduate Dayna Danger were asked to exhibit their work as part of the OBORO art centre’s year-long dedication to Indigenous artists and thinkers in response to the Canada 150 celebrations.

In collaboration with five women from the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, the artists took the opportunity to put together a month-long exhibition centred around the empowerment of Indigenous women.

OBORO’s website states Monnet and Danger’s project, Sanctuary, “explores how one can create a feeling of sanctuary in one’s self.” It encourages Indigenous women to understand that their own bodies and ancestry can provide the refuge that their colonized land cannot. The small exhibition at OBORO is just one element of the centre’s ongoing project. This single-room exhibition consists of both photographic and audio pieces, and explores stars and their significance in all Indigenous cultures.

The photography aspect of the exhibition features portraits of the five Indigenous women from the shelter—Brenda Lee Marcoux, Gail Golder, Jenna Guanish, Violet Rose Quinney and Crystal Star Einish—embodying empowered alter-egos, or “star selves.” Their star selves were discovered through workshops with the artists and other collaborators, and included links to their ancestors. For example, in her portrait, Quinney chose to dress as her grandfather.

However, Monnet and Danger noted that the empowered personas the women chose were not far off from who they really are. “It was something that we didn’t really expect,” Danger said. “It was really beautiful.”

The portraits are laminated onto copper “shields,” because some Indigenous cultures believe the metal has healing properties. These shields hang from the ceiling in an inwards-facing circle, creating a powerful space that one has to physically enter in order to view the work.

A traditional drum is mounted to a wall and lit from behind, giving the appearance of the moon. Photos by Kirubel Mehari.

On the wall to the right of the entrance hangs a hand drum, which is lit from behind. It casts a beam of light across the room onto the portraits, specifically onto the one of a woman holding a similar drum. “The drum lit up could be a reference to the moon,” Danger said.

The exhibition’s audio component consists of two parts: an ambient noise which fills the intimate, dark gallery space, and a voice recording played on headphones made available next to the hanging shields.

The ambient noise is made up of an Indigenous song sung by the artists as well as bits of conversation with the collaborators. The recording played through the headphones, is a dialogue from the workshops leading up to the exhibition, as well as intimate monologues that each woman wrote for their created alter-ego.

The atmosphere of the gallery space used for the exhibition aids in conveying the ideas of stars and restfulness. Upon entering the room, viewers feel a sense of sanctuary, as they are easily immersed in the exhibition through the blanket of darkness and placement of the pieces. The sound aspect of the installation helps contribute to the feeling of calm and comfort viewers experience. Additionally, the darkness of the room gives the few lit objects more visibility and significance, just as stars light up a pitch-black night sky.

According to Danger, the aim of this project was to guide Indigenous women in “seeing themselves in a positive and empowering way.” She added that she also hopes the public, in seeing the exhibition, would echo that vision.

“Even somebody who isn’t Indigenous is going to come in there and find some resonance with what is being said,” she said.

Wishes / Souhaits is on display until Oct. 21 at the OBORO gallery space at 4001 Berri St. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on OBORO’s year of Indigenous programming and upcoming exhibitions, check out their website.

A previous version of this article misquoted Dayna Danger with regards to the focus and aim of most Indigenous art. The Concordian apologizes for the error.

Categories
Music

KIN fables: ‘a musical, visual journey into fable’

McKinnon brothers combine mediums in their latest audio-visual project KIN. Photo Seb McKinnon.

A mysterious knight in shining armour blasts a ram-horn, calling the short fantasy film KIN into action. A young boy with distinct yellow galoshes runs in slow motion out of a ghastly mansion, while a knight chases him through an enchanted forest. A child-princess, pale as the moon, approaches a stream, a diamond necklace is revealed lying stagnant in the flowing waters. The knight and the boy in the yellow galoshes collapse simultaneously. The boy regains his footing and is welcomed by a tribe of dancing spirits that resemble the puppet-villain ‘Jigsaw’ from the Saw film series, only curious and inviting-looking and not so creepy. Pause.

McKinnon brothers combine mediums in their latest audio-visual project KIN. Photo Seb McKinnon

While most successful films begin with words on paper, the McKinnon Brother’s KIN, which took home the award for Best Cinematography at the Montreal Fantasia Film Festival and the Cyprus International Film Festival, began with a few tracks on Logic Pro composed by Seb McKinnon, a graphic designer with no background in music.

After graduating from Dawson College in illustration, Seb was designing illustrations for the card game Magic: The Gathering and was hired by Ubisoft as a game designer. Turning all his medieval fantasies into elaborately designed reality, Seb was living an illustrator’s dream, until he discovered Logic Pro and the art of song-making; that’s when everything changed.

“As a concept artist, I design knights or any creature that has something to do with fantasy. I remember while I was at Ubisoft, about two years ago, I really wanted to do something on my own. That’s when the ideas for KIN really came to me,” said Seb.

Akroan Horse, Debt to the Deathless, Drown in Filth, Vaporkin, were just a few of the countless creatures and mythical warriors he gave life to. Fueling the hordes of Magic card collectors with riveting visuals no longer thrilled Seb the same way because the world he was creating was beyond the realm known to fantasy-lovers. His new concept, KIN, was born through the mélange of beats and with the partnership of his filmmaking brother, Benjamin McKinnon.

“Most fantasy short films or feature films that you see have soundtracks concentrated on the orchestral, the choirs, the epic drum beats, but we wanted to bring a modern element to KIN, so that’s why we introduced the trance beat,” said Benjamin, who still cannot believe the process of how this all begun.

“While I started making the music, Ben and I began constructing a storyboard and that’s how this story started to tumble,” said Seb.

As more and more faces were created for KIN, Seb went back to the drawing board and began drawing a graphic novel about the story, which inspired some of the shots of the film. But it is really through the music where the story began.

“I went by the musical name of Clann for this project. We stumbled upon vocalist Charlotte Oleena by chance and that made the KIN EP into what it was,” he said.

In the realm of KIN, it is not just the mythology of the characters and world, but the music that sets the tone.

The McKinnon brothers are gaining attention in the Montreal cultural milieu for this project, which is unlike any film ever created before in the genre of fantasy. It’s a musical, visual journey into fable, narrated through its visually mystifying and intensely emotional narrative guided by trance-like electronic music.

Divided into three short films, Salvage, Her & The River, and Requiem, the McKinnon brothers have completely self-funded this project and are now raising money on kickstarter to see this multimedia project to its completion.

“You watch Braveheart and there are certain moments in the film where all the sounds disappear and you are left with the soundtracks that are almost on the verge of being a music video,” said Seb.

“Goosebumps moments, connecting with those moments when you are watching a film and you feel the chills, that’s what we strive to create,” said Benjamin, finishing Seb’s thought.

 

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