WESTERN FRONT – Concert by Paul Chiyokten Wagner and Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang

Description:

To open the evening, Paul Chiyokten Wagner shared teachings from his Coast Salish tribal ancestors of the Wsaanich (Saanich) Tribe through songs for flute, voice, and drum. His set invited the audience to reflect on their relationship to land, language, and all relations—from tree people, to animal people, to human people.

Collaborating over two decades, Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang have developed ethereal and transcendental music based on their study of cross-cultural and pan-musical traditions, forms of ritual, and their connection to lands. For their performance in the Grand Luxe Hall, the duo performed selections from their latest album Azure (2023). Combining vocals, shruti box, and viola d’amore, their performance experimented with different intensities of pulsation, harmonies and vibrato, drone, and pizzicato tones to propose alternative realities of what ecstatic music can be.

Presented with support from the Government of Canada and SOCAN Foundation with special thanks to East India Carpets Ltd.

Curated by Aki Onda.

Paul Chiyokten Wagner sings while playing a Coast Salish drum. He wears a woven cedar hat adorned with a woven cedar rose, abalone shell, and feather. The hat casts his face in dappled shadows. He also wears a blue tunic and beaded necklace.

Paul Chiyokten Wagner plays a wooden flute in the Grand Luxe Hall. A microphone is positioned in front of him, and a table with a variety of hand carved wood instruments are placed on a table to his right. The stage area is demarcated by a blue carpet, and the audience is seated on the floor and in chairs arranged in a curve.

Paul Chiyokten Wagner vocalizes into a microphone while holding his palms up. The audience, who are seated on the floor and in chairs around him, mirror this gesture. A table with various handcarved woodwind instruments are arranged on a table next to Paul.

Paul Chiyokten Wagner plays a wooden flute. He wears a woven cedar hat adorned with a woven cedar rose, abalone shell, and feather. The hat casts his face in dappled shadows. He also wears a blue tunic and beaded necklace.
Jennifer Ambriz gazes towards him while playing a Coast Salish drum. She wears a blue dress with yellow flowers, and a white tassel scarf.

Jessika Kenney and Eyvind Kang sit next to each other on a raised platform covered in a blue carpet. Jessika gazes at Eyvind as he plucks a viola d’amore. The musicians are surrounded by audience members who are seated on the floor and in chairs. The Grand Luxe Hall is very full.

Jessika Kenney and Eyvind Kang sit next to each other on a raised platform covered in a blue carpet. A microphone, various cables and effects pedals, and a shruti box are arranged around them. Jessika vocalizes as Eyvind plays viola d’amore. The musicians are surrounded by audience members who are seated on the floor and in chairs. The Grand Luxe Hall is very full.

Jessika Kenney and Eyvind Kang sit side by side on meditation pillows on a blue carpet. Jessika’s eyes are closed as she vocalizes into a mic. She wears glasses, a geometric pendant, and a sparkly top under a woven shawl.
A shruti box, sample pad, and several books are arranged in front of her. Kang plays viola d’amore and wears glasses, a floral scarf, blue button-up shirt, and blue jeans.

Jessika Kenney sits crossed legged on a meditation pillow on a blue carpet. She sings into a microphone while playing a shruti box with her right hand. She wears glasses, a geometric pendant, and a sparkly top under a woven shawl.

Eyvind Kang sits crossed legged on a meditation pillow on a blue carpet while playing viola d’amore. He wears glasses, a floral scarf, blue button-up shirt, and blue jeans.

Jessika Kenney and Eyvind Kang sit next to each other on a raised platform covered in a blue carpet. Jessika smiles and leans forward to turn the page of her notebook. Her right hand rests on a shruti box. Eyvind looks towards her while holding a viola d’amore.

A group photo of musicians Eyvind Kang and Jessika Kenney with curator Aki Onda. Eyvind wears glasses and a blue button-up shirt, and holds his viola d’amore. Jessika, with her arms around Eyvind and Aki, wears glasses, a blue sparkly dress, and a geometric pendant. Aki also wears glasses, as well as a long sleeve sweater printed with a graphic of a tiger.

Related People

Aki Onda (Curator)

Captions:

Concert by Paul Chiyokten Wagner and Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang, video documentation, Feb 17, 2024. 2 hr. 3 min. 12 sec. Camera by Qiuli Wu.
Paul Chiyokten Wagner at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Paul Chiyokten Wagner at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Paul Chiyokten Wagner at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Paul Chiyokten Wagner at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Paul Chiyokten Wagner and Jennifer Ambriz at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Jessika Kenney at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Eyvind Kang at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Eyvind Kang, Jessika Kenney, and Aki Onda at Western Front, Feb 17, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.

Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.