Pigeon Band by Emmie Tsumura is included on 19th edition of the Deep Wireless Compilation Album, which is produced by New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) for the 2025 edition of the annual Deep Wireless Festival of Radio & Transmission Art. The compilation includes works by radio artists and sound artists that examine the relationship of people and the natural world. Unheard and unexpected encounters with nature are brought to life in works by Omar Reyna (Canada), Emmie Tsumura (Canada), Marieke Van de ven (Holland), Andra McCartney (Canada), Matthew Driggs McMurray (USA) and Dann Disciglio (USA). Info and more radio art compilations are available here - https://naisa.ca/media-archive/compactdiscs/#DWCD18
The multi-species Pigeon Band project began with the question: “Do pigeons like music?” Two toy synth keyboards were installed on Emmie Tsumara's kitchen window sill, awaiting the daily pigeon visitors. Over several months of practice, the pigeons learned to play the keyboard as they snacked on sunflower seeds. Though each pigeon can be hard to tell apart visually, they each have their own personalities and movements. With those differences they each play a different song.
The Pigeon Band benefited from the collaboration of many artists and friends: Blunderspublik, D Badua, Julia Fenn, Charlie Glasspool, Sarah DeCarlo, Polly-Jean Vernon, Veronica Ing, The Burning Hell, Jas Nasty, Chris International, Babe Chorus, Anomalia and Charlie Petch.
The album was produced by Emmie Tsumura and mastered by Julia Fenn. It debuted as an audio-visual installation at the 27th Annual Reel Asian International Film Festival in Toronto in November 2023 and the project received support from the Ontario Arts Council.
Emmie Tsumura is a multidisciplinary artist, designer and pigeonfluencer. She enjoys working where politics meets the every day, and advocates for more accessible, inclusive, and joyful communities through justice-oriented design strategies. She holds a masters in design from York University, with current area of research focusing on chaos, absurdity, and the occult.
Deep Wireless 19 Credits for New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA):
Artistic Director: Darren Copeland
Executive Director: Nadene Thériault-Copeland
Image Illustration: Prashant Miranda
