WESTERN FRONT – Backwards Blue

Description:

Karen Ng presented a concert with improvised saxophone and electronics, utilizing a variety of material from her debut LP Backwards Blue (Halocine Trance, 2025). Blending a free improvisational vocabulary with interactive patches, Ng crafted vivid sonic vignettes that examined what emerges between acoustic and electronic sources. Ng was joined by local musicians Ruthie Ha, Gordy Li, Liam Murphy, and Tyson Naylor.

Following the performance, there was a question and answer session with Western Front executive director Susan Gibb.

Karen Ng sits on a chair in the Grand Luxe Hall, playing saxophone beneath a pool of blue light. Viewed from the side, the scene reveals a laptop screen partially obscured by draped translucent fabric on a nearby table. White gallery walls and rows of dark wooden seating frame the performance space.

Karen Ng sits on a chair in the Grand Luxe Hall, addressing the audience while holding a microphone. A blue spotlight illuminates her against the white walls of the space. She wears black clothing, a brown vest, and reading glasses, with a slight smile as she appears to make eye contact with someone in the audience. A saxophone rests in her lap.

Karen Ng plays saxophone with eyes closed, cheeks slightly puffed as she blows into the instrument. A blue spotlight falls across her as she sits in the Grand Luxe Hall, framed by soft white walls. She wears black clothing, a brown vest, and reading glasses. The shot is framed on her upper body and instrument, while the surrounding installation elements fall mostly out of frame.

Musician Tyson Naylor is in the foreground, in focus, wearing all black and playing a synthesizer placed in front of him under a warm yellow spotlight in the Grand Luxe Hall. In the background, slightly out of focus, Karen Ng sits playing saxophone under cooler blue light, wearing black clothing with a brown vest and reading glasses, both performers sharing the same performance space.

Close-up of musician Tyson Naylor at a synthesizer, with the back edge visible in the foreground. He wears a black long sleeve shirt and looks down with a focused expression, one hand pressing the keys while the other adjusts knobs. He is lit by a warm yellow spotlight, with a blue-lit wall in the background.

Musician Ruthie Ha stands in a dimly lit scene under a soft spotlight, holding a saxophone. They wear cargo pants layered with a floral-patterned shirt over a white T-shirt. While their hands hold the instrument, they look forward into the darkness toward the audience, rather than at the saxophone.

Karen Ng sits behind a table draped with sheer mesh and small lights. Lit by blue light, she looks intently at a computer screen in front of her. She wears a black blouse, brown vest, and reading glasses. Her expression is serious and focused, suggesting concentration on the task displayed on the screen.

Related People

Susan Gibb (Interviewer)
Ruthie Ha (Musician)
Gordy Li (Musician)
Liam Murphy (Musician)
Tyson Naylor (Musician)

Captions:

Karen Ng, Backwards Blue, video documentation, Mar 26, 2026. 1 hr. 5 min. 28 sec. Camera by Will Fitzsimmons.
Karen Ng at Western Front, photo documentation, Mar 26, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Karen Ng at Western Front, photo documentation, Mar 26, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Karen Ng at Western Front, photo documentation, Mar 26, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Tyson Naylor and Karen Ng at Western Front, photo documentation, Mar 26, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Tyson Naylor at Western Front, photo documentation, Mar 26, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Karen Ng at Western Front, photo documentation, Mar 26, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Ruthie Ha at Western Front, photo documentation, Mar 26, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Karen Ng at Western Front, photo documentation, Mar 26, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.

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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.