the Vancouver inter-arts collective

The Vancouver Inter-Arts Collective (V.I.C.) creates multi-disciplinary group dialogue combining music, dance, spoken & sung word and real-time visual art. Individuals and impromptu groupings take turns leading the conversation, sharing & competing for the “speaking” role, freely responding to other elements: a musician may follow a dancer who is reacting to painted gestures inspired by a different musician and so on. The conversation ebbs and flows organically while the one (eventually) permanent component (the painting) takes shape, evolves and often layers that have the finished piece bearing no resemblance or trace of it’s starting point.

The collective is:

Brad Muirhead: bass trombone & electronics, project director / Jay Hirabayashi & Barbara Bourget: kinetic sculpture / Gary Wildeman: percussion / Isaac Rosen-Purcell & Stephen Robb: clarinet & electronics / Carol Sawyer: voice & toys.

So far, Brad & Gary are the main painters - everyone joins in as & when they feel inclined.

Thefollowing media is from the group’s inaugural performance on June 9th, 2023. The paintings hanging behind the musicians were all created in rehearsal sessions as the group came together and found it’s “voice”.

There are plans for this to become an ongoing serious project, probably with various guest artists - stay tuned for developments. A major work that brings composed elements into the dialogue is in the works for fall 2024.