New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) is a non-profit organization, formerly based in Toronto but now in South River ON, that presents performances and installations spanning the entire spectrum of electroacoustic and experimental sound art. NAISA operates the NAISA North Media Arts Centre, located in the centre of the village of South River at 106 Ottawa Ave., a short distance from Algonquin Park, at the building formerly known as Renée’s Café and Bean There Café.

The NAISA North Media Arts Centre includes a large exhibition/performance space, a small café, and an artist residency space suitable for media art production/creation. The café offers fresh baked goodies by local baker Lois McLaren, homemade soup by Nadene Thériault-Copeland and serves Muskoka coffee by Muskoka Roastery Coffee Company.

NAISA’s annual events include: the Deep Wireless festival of Radio & Transmission Art, the Sound Travels Festival of Sound Art, the SOUNDplay festival and Springscapes.

The objectives of NAISA are to foster awareness and understanding locally, as well as nationally and internationally, in the cultural vitality of experimental sound art in its myriad forms of expression. This objective is achieved through the exploration of new sound technologies in conjunction with the creation of cultural events and artifacts.

Upcoming Events

Songs of Ice
By Michael Waterman and Jesse Stewart
January 17 to March 30, 2020. Open 10 am to 4 pm everyday except Tuesdays and Wednesdays
NAISA North Media Arts Centre, 106 Ottawa Ave, South River
Pay by Donation

In this interactive exhibition visitors can explore the sonic properties of ice in both solid and melting forms.

A Good Ways North
By Ayesha Barmania
February 29, 2020, 2:00 pm
NAISA North Media Arts Centre, 106 Ottawa Ave, South River
Admission by Donation

Ayesha Barmania will give an artist talk that explores place through interviews & sound and will also premiere an experimental documentary based on interviews with residents of South River.

DEEP WIRELESS Festival of Radio & Transmission Art
January 17 - March 30, 2020
NAISA North Media Arts Centre, 106 Ottawa Ave, South River, Canada.

Deep Wireless is an annual celebration of Radio and Transmission Art presented by New Adventures in Sound Art that opens with Art’s Birthday celebrations on January 17 and 18 and continues to March 30 with installations, performances, special radio broadcasts, and a family friendly maker workshop at the NAISA North Media Arts Centre in South River.  This 19th edition of Deep Wireless features the exhibition of Songs of Ice by Michael Waterman and Jesse Stewart as well as a new radio work by Ayesha Barmania.

“The experience of radio does not have to be limited to one-way communication (i.e., passive listening).  Some of the early innovators of radio thought of it as a two-way interactive medium.  This year’s Deep Wireless artists use wireless technology to explore interactivity between participants and the artworks while using the theme of transformation to suggest alternative paths of expression and communication. The installations and performances invite participation, but they also consciously allow for the public’s input to be transformed into unexpected outcomes.”—Darren Copeland, NAISA Artistic Director