Dear You: To Whom It May Concern, 2019, negative concrete casts from various molds and 10 audio tracks.
The audio aspect of Dear You: To Whom It May Concern presents the second half of the meaning of this work. All of the audio clips begin and end with the first two words of the title “Dear You”. “You” reflects a particular person who initially reminded Canaviri of the object or even gave it to her. However, “You” is not the same person for each audio clip. Within these clips she describe an aspect of her relationship with this person through the description of what the objects mean to her upon reflection. As described in her clips, most of these descriptions are negative and often accusatory to the person it concerns. In researching within herself as to discover why she should cast something like half of a water bottle, Canaviri came across a memory or an idea of trying to fill myself up with a water as to help her fit into her prom dress. It is within these audio clips that these negative cast objects enter the socio-political and personal realm.
Click here to see the associated sculptural work.
Click here to see the associated sculptural work.
Site-Specific: Sheridan Cubicle, 2018, four audio tracks.
Sheridan Cubicle, Canaviri chose to lead a person through her cubicle space that she shares with four other students. She selected her cubicle space for this site-specific work because it is one that she often occupies and can be found in whenever she am at Sheridan. It’s a place where she can feel safe to store her artworks and has been a place where she has formed new friendships. For this work, Canaviri is playing one audio, without much layering, of herself speaking directly to the listener to describe each individual’s space, a bit of their personality and her relationship with them. For example, in describing Sabrina’s space, she describe her relationship or use of coffee and she is clearly amused in my tone. This is to simulate her relationship with Sabrina as being a friendly one and one where they are often cracking jokes.
"I feel it but I don't understand it", 2018, audio track (without live performance).
Canaviri's concept for this soundwork is to simulate her experience as being a foreigner in a country that is ethnically her background but one she does not understand. It is the idea of being lost in something that is both familiar and distant. At home, she know the music that the performers are playing but she did not know the crowds. While in Bolivia, Canaviri had to focus on what she knew which is why this work is introduced with footsteps and traffic as it is the same in any country. The crowds were different and so were the streets. It was busy and in constant movement with discussion in a language and culture she did not understand. It was easy to get lost into and it was where she felt the most isolated. The parade became a brief safe haven as the music was familiar. It was where Canaviri wanted to enjoy the music, felt compelled to dance, and play along to the best of her abilities until the crowd came back into focus.
TBA CUZ IDK CUZ (UGH), featuring Sabrina Bilic, 2018, recorded audio track from live performance.
For this assignment, Bilic and Canaviri are creating a conversation that is alike no other and changes from the moment it starts to the moment it ends. There is only one set rule for their live soundwork and that is how the dialogue spoken between them cannot contain any “words”. The duo define “words” in their case as anything that comes from a pre-determined language like English, French, Spanish and etc. Instead they are defining their own new language that contains only sounds made from their bodies. The sounds that they begin with will and can be reused or looped, however as time goes on, the meaning behind those words will change due to individual perception and how vocal language is read. It can aggravate, calm, sadden and so many other things.. It is within individual perception that humans can define the tone of the conversation and their feelings that will further convolute it.
My Religion, it taunts (my apologies), 2018, audio track.
My Religion, it taunts (my apologies) is based off of the biblical quote of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalms 22:1). Initially, Canaviri chose this quote because of her own personal conflict with her Catholic heritage in comparison to her relationship with God. Upon first developing this idea, she wanted to build a monument that took its form as a cloth confessional as what was built and the noises it made were her truth at the time. What can be heard is her prayers, her hymns and, very evidently, the desperation in her voice to reconcile her relationship with God that Canaviri believed was damaged by her religion. Thus, arose a seven-foot tall box that is less than two-feet in width and is clad in a Victorian fabric.
Click here to see the associated sculpture.
Click here to see the associated sculpture.