Halka: Spells for Gentleness

// Collectively improvised multimedia performance w/ Vivek Venkatesh, Owen Chapman, Ivar Bjørnson, Annabelle Brault, Danji Buck-Moore, José-Luis Cortés Santander, Martin Lalonde, and Veronica Florence Mockler, Performed at St. Jax Church on October 14 + 15, 2022, Montreal, Quebec //

Halka means gentle and subtle in Urdu. Through Halka, we explore the ethos of slow and purposeful creation. What does it mean to be gentle in the face of harshness? How lightly do we need to be to float and yet feel anchored?

On October 14–15, 2022, Halka brought together musicians, artists, and performers for two nights of live sound, collage-making, and multi-screen projections at St. Jax Church, Montreal via a performance that explored gentleness as an artistic and political force. Developed through a week-long residency at Autoland Audio, Halka featured live musical improvisation, circus performances, and an opening set by Leila Abdul-Rauf. A Youth Documentary Internship, led by Veronica Mockler, captured the creative process through the lens of Hunnayna Hemed, Kendra McDonald, and Kaymarie Sutherland, with their documentary set for release in 2023.

Project supported by Les Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) and SSHRC.

Read more about the performances here >>>

jessie beier delivers lead vocals during the immersive Halka performance. (Image credit: Youth Documentary Interns Hunnayna Hemed, Kendra McDonald, Kaymarie Sutherland)

José Cortés’ installation takes shape during the performance, evolving in real-time alongside the live soundscape. (Image credit: Youth Documentary Interns Hunnayna Hemed, Kendra McDonald, Kaymarie Sutherland)

Annabelle Brault programs sounds while contributing vocals and instrumentation. (Image credit: Youth Documentary Interns Hunnayna Hemed, Kendra McDonald, Kaymarie Sutherland)

Youth documentarians , led by Veronica Mockler, capture the event. (Image credit: Youth Documentary Interns Hunnayna Hemed, Kendra McDonald, Kaymarie Sutherland)

Vivek Venkatesh on guitar. (Image credit: Youth Documentary Interns Hunnayna Hemed, Kendra McDonald, Kaymarie Sutherland)

Danji Buck-Moore on synthesizers. (Image credit: Youth Documentary Interns Hunnayna Hemed, Kendra McDonald, Kaymarie Sutherland)

related projects + links

HALKA Event Captured in New Text by Jad Orphée Chami

Two Nights of Spellbound Performances: Halka at St-Jax Church

Landscape of Hate Summer Residency 2022 // A ten-day residency and series of performances featuring audiovisual experimentation between some of the Halka artists.

Landscape of Hate // Landscape of Hate is an improvised multimedia project with the objective of promoting and favouring the public voice in framing pluralistic dialogues about how we negotiate various forms of hate in our society.