Thalassa Neon Julia
Canadian artist, musician and curator Steve Bates presents his film “Thalassa Neon Julia”, shot on the island of Tinos. The film is followed by a solo set based on sounds collected from the quarries and radio signals collected around the island, and samples from the choir and an organist as well.
“Thalassa Neon Julia” (2023, 40′) is an acoustic study of three decommissioned marble quarries on the island of Tinos, Greece. Working with members of a local women’s choir, a church organist, clarinetist Daphne Mengou, and ILIOS and Nikos Veliotis, of the Greek experimental music duo, MMMD (Mohammad), “Thalassa Neon Julia” listens to the resonances left behind after decades of marble extraction.
Through his work, Steve Bates listens to thresholds, boundaries and borders, points of contact and conflict. The history of ideas, experiences, and materials are an influence on his work and often lead to a research-heavy path resulting in suites of work around a theme. His work has been shown and exhibited in Canada, USA, Europe, Chile and Senegal. His personal release “All The Things That Happen” was released by Montreal’s Constellation Records.