Streaming from a terrace at Habitat 67 in Tiohtià:ke / Montréal overlooking the Kaniatarowanenneh / St. Lawrence River, where water meets poplars, shrubs, and concrete housing. Designed by Moshe Safdie for Expo67 in Montréal, Habitat 67 is an iconic Brutalist concrete building – a seeming epitome of rigid urbanism built on an artificial peninsula. Sounds betray a constant presence of nature at this site: calls of songbirds and low-flying waterfowl backed by the flowing water and standing waves of the Kaniatarowanenneh / St. Lawrence River. Native poplars now grow along the riverbank, muskrats climb up from the water, and migrating birds breed nearby, including red-wing blackbirds who are usually found near still water. Redwings call all day to others in the colony or potential mates; if you hear a shift in their calls, a predator may have entered the area. Rather than raising the volume, the call is changed – signalling an alarm only to other redwings. Habitat itself is quiet at this time of day, however you may hear surfers arriving to ride the standing waves created by boulders in the river.

 

Thank you to the wonderful people from Soundcamp and Locus Sonus who make this happen! This is my fourth time joining REVEIL (see this LINK).  Currently I’m working on a sound project around watersheds from the Columbia Icefields and a video walk project. I am honoured to stream from Tiohtià:ke / Montréal and to recognize the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation and other indigenous peoples who have called this place home, and have shared and cared for the land and waters of Tiohtià:ke. I acknowledge and appreciate French and other settlers who were also instrumental in creating the current culture of Montréal. Thanks to Habitat denizens Valerie, Stu and Dickie Tuna.

More sounds & info will be available at this LINK (inactive before May 16).