English 
French As part of the podcast series, “ArtsAbly in Conversation,” Diane Kolin interviewed Lia Pas, a Saskatoon-based Canadian multidisciplinary artist who works in the fields of music, writing, and visual arts.
This post presents the resources that she mentioned during the conversation.
Body Map (2016) by Lia Pas
An outline of a naked woman is embroidered on linen in the same bone white colour as the linen. She stands legs together, her right hand covering her groin, her left hand, palm up, extended slightly to her side. She looks to the right. Her entire body except for her belly is covered in intricate markings representing different neurological sensations. Her face is a mask of green lines, feathery grey lines cover her shoulders and chest. There is a thick band of intricate burgundy stitching around her waist. Her forearms and hands are covered in thick blue undulant lines. Her right leg has bands of burgundy along the muscles, with small dots around them. Her inner left leg has a thick line of blue running up it, with thin branches spreading towards her outer leg.
Piano Improvisation in G Dorian Mode
The piece that is opening the interview is an excerpt of a piano Improvisation in G Dorian Mode by Lia Pas performed by Lia Pas, and premiered on May 31, 2024, for Opera Mariposa’s 2024 Benefit + Awareness Month.
Learn more about Opera Mariposa’s 2024 Benefit + Awareness Month
Lia Pas
Lia Pas is a Saskatoon-based Canadian multidisciplinary artist who works in the fields of music, writing, and visual arts. She is an accomplished composer and musician (oboe, piano, and voice), published author of non-fiction, libretti, scripts, three books of poetry, and two videopoems. Her work has been broadcast on CBC and BBC radio, and her fibre art has been featured in numerous online publications, exhibited at medical humanities conferences, and is part of the Sask Arts Board’s permanent collection. She worked primarily as a composer/performer for thirty-five years until she became disabled by post-viral myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in 2015. Born and raised in Saskatoon, Lia studied music at York University, Toronto (BFA Hon. Mus.1995) and completed her Master of Arts in Devised Theatre at Dartington College of Arts in Devon, UK (2006). Prior to her arrival at Dartington, Lia lived in Japan for two years and was a long-time student of Roy Hart Voice work training extensively with Richard Armstrong, as well as with Enrique Pardo and Linda Wise of Pantheatre.
The Hum, and more about Lia Pas’ return to music
Lia Pas has completed The Hum, a piece of music based on her hyperacusis and tinnitus symptoms. It’s just over 11 minutes long, and is a calm, ambient, and somewhat minimalist piece. You can buy the entire 11-minute recording on her Ko-fi page as an mp3.
Listen to, read about and purchase The Hum
Videopoem by Lia Pas: susurrations
susurrations is a videopoem that explores the anatomical, visceral, metaphysical, and emotional landscape of the heart. Combining scientific and poetic text, organic movement imagery, and rich vocal music, this multi-disciplinary piece invites the viewer to delve into their own visceral and experiential relationship with their heart. Storyboard, text, & music by Lia Pas.
Watch and listen to susurrations
Maya Lewandowsky and La Caravan Dance Theatre
Maya Lewandowsky is the artistic director and founder of La Caravan Dance Theatre as well as the creator of the “Free Your Natural Voice” Method. For over 30 years, Maya’s distinction as a singer, dancer and choreographer has seen her study and perform with international teachers, acclaimed choreographers and companies (such as Lar Lubovitch, Gigi Caciuleanu, Luciano Cannito, Inbal Pinto and the Bat-Dor Dance Company, where she eventually became a soloist). She tours professionally in Europe, North America and Asia.
Under the artistic direction of Maya Lewandowsky, La Caravan has thrilled audiences across western Canada with electric, startling, and inherently original works of immense theatrical presence since 2003. At the heart of La Caravan’s uniqueness is the company’s vision to create a platform that expands perceptions and deepens emotional response for the performers and spectators alike through dramatic, provocative productions. Making it one of the most unique performance art companies in the world, La Caravan Dance Theatre has an innovative trans-disciplinary style that cross pollinates contemporary dance, theatre, music, voice, projection design, technology, architecture and installation art yielding dramatic and stirring performances.
Visit La Caravan Dance Theatre’s website
Watch an excerpt of the show FIHI MA FIHI with Lia Pas’ composition In Amber
Barrie Phillip Nichol (bpNichol)
Barrie Phillip Nichol (30 September 1944 – 25 September 1988), known as bpNichol, was a Canadian poet, writer, sound poet, editor, Creative Writing teacher at York University in Toronto and grOnk/Ganglia Press publisher. His body of work encompasses poetry, children’s books, television scripts, novels, short fiction, computer texts, and sound poetry. His love of language and writing, evident in his many accomplishments, continues to be carried forward by many.
Visit bpNichol’s Wikipedia page
Opera Mariposa
Opera Mariposa was founded by best friends Jacqueline Ko and Robin Hahn and Jacqueline’s sister Stephanie Ko. It is a critically-acclaimed company working to make opera more accessible. As Canada’s first entirely, openly disability-led and run opera company, they are dedicated to creating inclusive opportunities for emerging and underrepresented artists, and have been recognized as “[one of] Canada’s key indie players” (Opera Canada Magazine). Since their launch in 2012, past mainstage productions have been hailed as “well-honed” (Opera Canada), “delightful” (Review Vancouver) and “a stroke of genius” (The Voice), while our present digital offerings have reached audiences around the globe, and our annual Benefit + Awareness events have raised over $128,000 for a variety of charities and healthcare programs.
Visit Opera Mariposa’s website
Listen to or watch ArtsAbly’s interview with Robin Hahn
Christina Baltais
Christina Baltais is an artist who resides in Toronto, Canada. She has lived with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME, also known as ME/CFS) for the past 18 years and draws on her personal experience of chronic illness to create collage, photography, sculpture, and makeup art. She has also been involved in organizing fundraising and advocacy initiatives, such as the annual ME/CFS Art Auction and the May 12th #GoBlueForMECFS campaign. She is a patient partner with ICanCME Research Network‘s steering committee and the medical education working group. ME is a deeply stigmatized and contested illness, and she hopes her work is one ripple in the wave of change the ME community desperately needs for greater awareness, compassion, research funding, and treatments.
Visit Christina Baltais’ website
Laura Bundesen
Laura Bundesen’s artwork is focused on our wonderful and fascinating human brains. Her first two neuro pieces were made in October 2014 for an invitational fiber art exhibition and she was instantly hooked. She read everything she could get her hands on, talked to neuroscientists and started playing with texture and color. Since then, she has been spurred on by the reception her pieces have received in the neuro world and she has no plans to stop exploring the brain in all its complexity and beauty. Her mission is to spread joy and wonder through her works of art – and a little brain education too.
Visit Laura Bundesen’s website
Glendon Mellow and SciArt
Glendon Mellow received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours. With his art and illustrations, he explores ideas constructed with mythology in mind, and anatomy, fossils, insects, and microbes typically as subjects. From evolution to extinction, he frequently takes inspiration from the Symbolists, Pre-Raphaelites, and Surrealists to create his SciArt works. He loves a good chimera: what would ancient Egyptians and Greeks have imagined if they knew about theropods, trilobites, or rotifers? His art has been featured in numerous science blogs, magazines, books and book covers, and exhibits illustrating the intersection of art + science. He also gives talks about his own work, the importance of social media to art promotion, and the growing field of SciArt. He is a vociferous defender of artists and the credit they deserve.
Visit Glendon Mellow’s website
Sharp Notions: Essays from the Stitching Life
Personal essays from diverse voices about their relationships to the fibre arts. In this anthology, writers and artists from different backgrounds contemplate their complex relationships with the fibre arts and the intersections of creative practice and identity, technology, memory, climate change, trauma, chronic illness, and disability. Accompanied by full-colour photographs throughout, these powerful and inspiring essays challenge the traditional view of crafting and examine the role, purpose, joy, and necessity of craft amid the alienation of contemporary life. Edited by Marita Dachsel & Nancy Lee. Lia’s embroidery, she breathed, is the cover art for this anthology and her essay, What is the Body but a Matrix of Threads? and some of her SciArt embroideries are inside the book.