Author Archives: Silence

Roelf was born in the Netherlands and came to Canada with his family in 1955 settling in Galt. Raised in a family where everyone seemed to have an instinctive creative urge in their daily work, he carried this on with a love of art and music, and went on to study art history and drawing at the University of Guelph. After, he focused on a trade and began his on-the-job training as a carpenter, and the arts had to lay fallow for a while. His love of woodworking and art emerged after a few years ago when he was inspired by the effect of dyes he used to colour some cajons (drum boxes) he was building. Intrigued by the “whimsy” of this medium on wood, he set out to play with their effects on a larger scale, and framed these sometimes odd-shaped pieces with native wood species and salvaged woods.…

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Exhibition running from May 1st to 27th “I am a deeply superficial person.”  –  Andy Warhol A plaque with the quote above has hung in my studio for years. It resonates with my own art practice, which is inspired by decorative art in its many forms. To me, decorative art is more than just surface decoration. It is historically important as an expression of a time, a place or a culture. My work is inspired by European folk art and the ornate decorative elements of early 20th century architecture. The converted 1920s office building I live in is a rich source of inspiration, as is the Financial District in my hometown, Toronto. In both cases the familiar decorative motifs have strong personal associations with home and roots.

Doors at 7:30Music at 8pmThis show will be operating on time! It’s a school night y’all$10 Silence Presents: Jadea Kelly Sunday May 5, 2019 Described by CBC as ‘one of the shining jewels in the crown of Canadian songwriters’ Jadea Kelly spends her time writing and living between Toronto and Los Angeles CA. In 2016 she was awarded ‘Contemporary Singer of the Year’ at the Canadian Folk Music Awards for her heartfelt 2016 release ‘Love & Lust’. Its featured single ‘Beauty’ was placed on the Lifetime Network feature ‘No One Would Tell’ and the 2017 CBC Rio Paralympics; an opening montage with over 900,000 views. Set for release on May 17, 2019, the MWI soundtrack EP has already received ‘Best Score & Music’ accolades from the Hollywood Independent Documentary Awards. MWI is the official soundtrack for ‘Met While Incarcerated the Film’, airing on the Documentary Channel and CBC in March…

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PipeDown! Presents: Teleportoise wsg HIVE/ Concavity Saturday April 13, 2019 Doors at 7:30pmShow at 8:00pmAdmission is $10 This one will be HEAVY!HIVE – Open your ears to the crushing drudgery of EMERGENCE coupled with the Brood Mother’s bellowing howls of worship.Become part of the swarm, and pledge your allegiance to the Brood Mother. Facebook:www.facebook.com/H-I-V-E-456637797755888/?fref=ts Concavity – Concavity is a Canadian darkwave/post-punk duo formed in 2018 by Beth de Jong & Graham Bucci. On beds of dark rhythms lilt sad melodies with a grim outlook. They sing songs of pain and pessimism. Teleportoise – A proggy doom band from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Silence Presents: TOC Sunday April 7, 2019 Toc invited Dave Rempis to join the trio in February 2018 for the release concert of “Will Never Play These Songs Again” at the malterie, Lille France. The meeting is instantaneous, the agreement immediate. Could it be otherwise?The saxophonist is today a…

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April 3 – April 27, 2019 Opening: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PMArtist Talk: 8:00 PMWine and Refreshments will be served.New work by Oxanna Adams and Barbara Shaw Oxanna Adams and Barbara Shaw are Guelph artists. Their friendship and artistic collaboration grew from a mutual passion for northern landscapes. Both artists were inspired by their travels to places such as Iceland, Sweden, and the Yukon. Oxanna uses shape, colour and value to create abstract panels that convey a strong sense of place. She applies multiple layers of oil paint mixed with cold wax medium to evoke a landscape that stirs the soul and lifts the heart. From large acrylic paintings reflecting dramatic vistas to smaller detailed watercolours, Barbara’s art captures the beauty of these northern regions. The music of theland can be imagined as each painting pulls the viewer closer. Although very different in style and technique, both Oxanna and Barbara’s…

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Silence Presents: Canadian Women Composers Project Sunday March 24, 2019 Doors at 1:30 PMConcert at 2:00 PM Tickets available here.  The Canadian Women Composers (CWC) Project is a non-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing greater awareness to vocal music by Canadian women founded in 2016 by Canadian soprano Clarisse Tonigussi. In the 2018/19 Toronto season, The CWC Project is continuing to support the music of Canadian women in a concert series spanning multiple genres: from folk to opera. The CWC Project concert with Silence Presents features Toronto based jazz singer Laura Swankey and a band of Canadian female jazz musicians behind her. The music on the programme is written by local female/ female-identifying/ non-binary composers including Lieke van der Voort, Tova Kardonne, and Juliet Palmer, some of whom have been commissioned by The CWC Project to write works for the performance. Laura SwankeyCanadian vocalist/ composer/ improviser Laura Swankey is known for her…

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March 15 – March 31, 2019 Welcome to a World Water Day Celebration through art. The flow of water and the environment into the body and then the return of it back to the environment is something most people don’t think about and take for granted. Roughly 800 million people in the world do not have access to a safe source of water for drinking, cooking and bathing. Roughly 2 billion people worldwide do not have proper means for sanitation. The two are intertwined as sewage, if not properly treated before it is returned back into the environment causes illnesses and contaminates water sources taking the lives of people who have no other choice, or don’t even know they’re harming themselves by collecting and ingesting the dirty water to live. You may think of places like Africa, Central America or South East Asia where these problems are occurring, but it…

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Place For Bands Presents: Nicolette and the Nobodies wsg Matt Monoogian February 16, 2019 Celebrating Nicolette & The Nobodies debut record release, “Devil’s Run”. Fronted by Nicolette Hoang, The Nobodies are a hand-picked assortment of Guelph locals who bring their surf, punk, and pop sensibilities to Nicolette’s appreciation of ’60s and ’70s country music. Devil’s Run, was recorded at Lincoln County Social Club in Toronto in the summer of 2018. It will be released independently on February 15, 2019. Listen to their single “Roses” on bandcamp now! Matt Monoogian has been sitting in the shadows; honing his craft, searching for his voice and percolating disparate influences for his sophomore album, and it shows. The cinematic full-length from this unassuming sideman has the depth of singer-songwriter contemporaries such as Patrick Watson or Destroyer while harkening to the dark-folk of Timber Timbre and Okkervil River. His sweetly pining vocals reach deep into…

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February 13 – March 13, 2019

Saturday February 9, 2019 Please join us at the first ever ‘Silence’ Auction a live art auction and gala event taking place on Saturday, February 9th at 7PM at Silence located at 46 Essex St. Guelph. The auction will be hosted by city councillor and local musician, James Gordon and proceeds will go towards supporting the work of musicians and visual artists both locally and internationally as well as continuing our ability to provide an accessible community space in downtown Guelph. Artworks for auction have been donated by the following artists: Ron ShuebrookCheryl RuddockSusan DobsonMartin PearceWill GorlitzSADKORobert AchtemichukRoelf ZantingeTed FullertonPatrick CruzStephen LivickKIAMPearl Van GeestEileen McArthurKarin SilverstoneElise Puddy A full list of artworks available at the auction can be viewed here. Tickets are $40 and will include one free drink token as well as a selection of hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are available here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-silence-auction-tickets-54598934884 I hope that you will consider joining us…

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