The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) will be showing the work of three Montreal-based multimedia artists next week.

NACC reopened after the holidays on Wednesday, and is kicking off the new year with Arts Numeriques, meaning Digital Arts, next Saturday, Jan. 12. The 7:30 p.m. show will feature a pre-performance in the lobby by local group Miraj, followed by performances from Myriam Bleau and Martin Messier, and a screening of Herman KolgenSA国际影视传媒檚 short film LINK.C.

Myriam Bleau, will be performing a work called autopsy.glass. According to her website the performance SA国际影视传媒渆xplores the sonic, visual and symbolic potential of the wine glass.SA国际影视传媒�

Martin Messier will perform a piece called Field, which he describes as SA国际影视传媒渒ind of abstract.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a sound and light performance I would say, where ISA国际影视传媒檓 starting at the beginning of this first performance to just plug cables into some patch,SA国际影视传媒� said Messier.

SA国际影视传媒淛ust think about the old telephone job of patching cable between different important outputs so people can connect together,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淎nd this show is a little bit about this -- connecting things together.SA国际影视传媒�

But at the same time, he uses the connections of patches and cables to create an instrument.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a visual and sound instrument I can play,SA国际影视传媒� he said, adding audiences can expect theatrical elements as well. MessierSA国际影视传媒檚 physical movements on stage are as much a part of the performance as the sound and light components. He was first drawn to this medium 10 years ago, as a new way to explore and perform electronic music.

SA国际影视传媒淚n all my performances ISA国际影视传媒檝e been doing in the last 10 years ISA国际影视传媒檝e been working with different objects on stage,SA国际影视传媒� said Messier. SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 trying to present electronic music live on stage without being in front of a computer.SA国际影视传媒� In the beginning he worked with day-to-day objects like old Singer sewing machines.

SA国际影视传媒淏ut I was using those objects because I can manipulate them, the same way I would do with a musical instrument,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淲hen youSA国际影视传媒檙e playing a musical instrument youSA国际影视传媒檙e touching something and youSA国际影视传媒檙e playing with something. I was trying to do the same with electronic music when I started all that years ago.SA国际影视传媒�

Working with physical objects to make music is an integral part of his work, said Messier.

SA国际影视传媒淚t helps me to build something, I would call a small narrative, a simple narrative on stage,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 not exactly the same as listening to a musical performance. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 a little bit different.SA国际影视传媒�

First time North

This performance will be the first time Messier has ever been to the North.

SA国际影视传媒淚 donSA国际影视传媒檛 travel often in Canada so ISA国际影视传媒檝e never been in Yellowknife. ISA国际影视传媒檓 more travelling in Europe to say the truth. So yeah, first time and seriously I donSA国际影视传媒檛 know what to expect.SA国际影视传媒�

Artist Herman Kolgen will not be in Yellowknife for the show but his film LINK.C will be shown, and is billed as SA国际影视传媒渁 moving, elliptical representation of our urban areas.SA国际影视传媒�

Elsewhere LINK.C has been presented as a performance, with a live string quartet on stage but that will not be the case in Yellowknife.

SA国际影视传媒淵ou can live the experience without having the live string quartet because itSA国际影视传媒檚 a score that is already written by Philip Glass,SA国际影视传媒� said Kolgen.

The Op茅ra National de BordeauxSA国际影视传媒檚 Charles Guivarch invited Kolgen to create a piece based on Philip GlassSA国际影视传媒檚 String Quartet No. 2, also known as Company. The piece was originally written as instrumental music for Fred Neumann's adaptation of Samuel Beckett's 1979 novella of the same name.

SA国际影视传媒淪amuel Beckett tells a story about an old man who was lying dying, and heSA国际影视传媒檚 lonely,SA国际影视传媒� said Kolgen. SA国际影视传媒淗eSA国际影视传媒檚 in his apartment and he just feels in his head and in his heart the memories of all the people that were important in his life. Like a dream, just before dying.SA国际影视传媒�

Kolgen said he reflected on this idea before working on his approach to the film.

SA国际影视传媒淚n LINK.C I worked more on a city scale, a global scale, because often now we hear that in contemporary life the people are very isolated,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭hey donSA国际影视传媒檛 know too much about their neighbours, when they cross other people in the street they donSA国际影视传媒檛 look them in the eye. We are very disconnected, more lonely. And I wanted to work on this level because I donSA国际影视传媒檛 feel that itSA国际影视传媒檚 so dramatic like that. I think now we are with another kind of connection.SA国际影视传媒�

Kolgen said he has plenty of friends and people that he connects with from other countries and cities around the world. With LINK.C, he wanted to illustrate the larger global connection we now share.

The film's connection to Samuel Beckett is not just about the man who remembers all the personal connections throughout his life.

SA国际影视传媒淚n this movie ... you can start to see all the invisible connections between the windows, between the buildings, the cars,SA国际影视传媒� said Kolgen. SA国际影视传媒淭hat all the people, in some invisible way or maybe more abstract way, are connected and linked together. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 just another level of humanitySA国际影视传媒檚 connection that Samuel Beckett wanted to express in his theatre piece.SA国际影视传媒�

In this way, cities are viewed as almost like another ecosystem for human beings. Kolgen said heSA国际影视传媒檚 always been interested in the relationship between people and their environment, especially man-made ones like cities. LINK.C is an exploration of cityscapes, their connection to humans and the way our environment affects us every day.