Join MOCA for Free Friday Night on March 7 and experience Small Movements, an intimate physical sound performance by Adam Basanta. Using tuned microphone feedback, modified amplification, and subtle kinetic actions, all sound is generated live through the physical interaction of handheld microphones, speaker cones, custom software, and simple material filters. Developed through a series of sound installations, the work reflects on the fragile instabilities of sound production and the quiet phenomena that emerge when sonic technologies intersect.
The performance—shaped by touch, proximity, and careful listening— unfolds through small gestures and minute shifts. Handheld microphones coax low-volume harmonic feedback into delicate melodies and chords, jars placed atop speakers act as physical filters, and cassette recorders capture the sound of the space and return it in softly phased loops. These restrained actions elicit a sense of quiet wonder and awareness, inviting listeners to notice how subtle changes give rise to unexpected musical forms within the gallery setting.
The performance will be presented twice, at 6 pm and 7:30 pm, and is part of MOCA’s Free Friday Nights. Admission is Free from 5–9 pm. Tickets can be obtained ahead of time or at the door. Book in advance to reserve your spot!
About the Artist
Adam Basanta lives and works in Montreal. After studying contemporary music composition, he developed a broad, experimental, autodidactic artistic practice in mixed-media installations. Across various media and techniques, Basanta investigates technology as a meeting point of concurrent, overlapping systems; a nexus of cultural, computational, biological, and economic forces. Rejecting traditional notions of media-specificity, consistent style, and technical mastery, Basanta practices art as a form of continual search and discovery, a way of engaging and becoming in the world.
Since 2015, his works have been exhibited worldwide including the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (CAN), WRO Biennale (POL), Fotomuseum Winterthur (CH), Cite International des Arts – Paris (FRA), Arsenal Art Contemporain (CAN), Galerie Charlot (FRA), iMAL (BEL), National Art Centre Tokyo (JPN), V Moscow Biennale for Young Art (RUS), Serralves Museum (POR), Edith-Russ-Haus fur Mediakunst (GER), York Art Gallery (UK), and The Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe (USA). Basanta’s work has been awarded in Canada and internationally, and can be found in private and institutional collections.
