Fountains and Chapel Sound highlight sonic experimentation at Fountains: Series III, December 4 and 6

Annual program co-presented with Fountains Symposium highlights the work of East and Southeast Asian women, femme, and nonbinary artists

SPONSORED POST BY Chapel Sound Art Foundation

Flora Yin Wong performing at Fountains in 2024. Photo by Eric Tsui

Fountains Symposium is returning for its third edition on December 4 and 6, co-presented with Chapel Sound Art Foundation. Shining a spotlight on experimental sound practices, the gathering brings together live performance, improvisatory practice, and experimental instrumentation.

Fountains: Series III highlights the work of East and Southeast Asian women, femme, and nonbinary sound artists while fostering mentorship and exchange within Vancouver’s creative community. This year’s experimental-sound programming includes Bethlehem’s live doom-pop debut in Vancouver, Jiyoung Wi’s improvisational “sound fiction” performance, and a live set with Hesaitix (James Whipple, formerly M.E.S.H.). During a preliminary workshop, Wi will present on improvisatory and narrative practices in language and sound art.

Curated by Annie Ng, Fountains is dedicated to cultivating deep attention to sound: how it is made, how it moves through bodies and space, and how it can shape shared experience. Annual programming includes performances, artist-led workshops, and discussions on process, technique, and creative philosophy.

This year’s Fountains Symposium is a collusion of very rare acts. It marks Hesaitix’s Vancouver debut and first-ever live set after a five-year hiatus; he’ll be performing pieces from his latest album, Noctian Airgap, solidifying his position as a force in deconstructed club music.

Jiyoung Wi. Photo by Guyshawn Wong

Hesaitix. Photo by Sam Clarke

It will also be the first live performance of Bethlehem (the breakout recording moniker of DJ Venetta), with her debut EP Obsessions & Confessions set for release the day prior to the show. Bethlehem builds warped pop architectures from industrial noise and early-aughts hooks. Her seductive vocal loops, glitchy video-game bites, and broken hooks forge jagged, unpredictable soundscapes.

Wi, who splits her time between Rotterdam and Seoul and is fresh off a tour of Asia, will perform here as part of her first Canadian tour. Her new album Accept All Cookies blends recontextualized field recordings, anonymous dialogues, and improvisatory practice with violin and boutique synthesizer work.

Fountains III: Hesaitix, Jiyoung Wi, Bethlehem will take place at the Granville Island Revue Stage on December 6 at 7 pm (tickets are available through Resident Advisor), while the pay-what-you-can workshop event Fountains III: Sound Fiction with Jiyoung Wi will take place at Atelier 254 on December 4 at 7 pm (reserve tickets here).

Learn more about Chapel Sound Art Foundation here.

Post sponsored by Chapel Sound Art Foundation.

Bethlehem

---

Related Articles