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Karaoke Video Pool provided 42 high school media art students the technical and conceptual support to explore the notion of identity formation by collaboratively producing their own karaoke videos over 12 sessions in 2019. Each group of students chose a song and then paired it with visuals they created and edited to tell a story starring themselves. Part of the project design implemented a common pool of video footage that each group contributed to and drew from. The project ended with a karaoke party for all to enjoy the videos.
The project used hands-on studio experience to provide a myriad of entry points into exploring identity not as a pre-given thing, but as a complex process of performing within a social context. Students were able to experience firsthand the role media producers play in depicting various identities, whether reproducing or challenging stereotypes. The creative process itself was used as a way to challenge students to think and do identity.
Alysha Seriani was the lead mentor, with support from Sepideh Saii and Pietro Sammarco. Primary funding from the ArtStarts' Artists in the Classroom grant, with VIVO and Vancouver Technical Secondary providing all equipment and facility spaces. This project was coordinated by Pietro Sammarco.
VIVO is located in the homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples in a warehouse space at 2625 Kaslo Street south of East Broadway at the end of E 10th. Transit line 9 stops at Kaslo Street on Broadway. From the bus stop, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight decline. The closest skytrain station is Renfrew Station, which is three blocks south-east of VIVO and has an elevator. From there, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight incline. There is parking available at VIVO, including wheelchair access parking. There is a bike rack at the entrance. The front entrance leads indoors to a set of 7 stairs to the lobby.
A wheelchair ramp is located at the west side of the main entrance. The ramp has two runs: the first run is 20 feet long, and the second run is 26 feet. The ramp is 60 inches wide. The slope is 1:12. The ramp itself is concrete and has handrails on both sides. There is an outward swinging door (34 inch width) at the top of the ramp leading to a vestibule. A second outward swinging door (33 inch width) opens into the exhibition space. Buzzers and intercoms are located at both doors to notify staff during regular office hours or events to unlock the doors. Once unlocked, visitors can use automatic operators to open the doors.
There are two all-gender washrooms. One has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The other is a single room with a urinal and is wheelchair accessible: the door is 33 inches wide and inward swinging, without automation. The toilet has 11 inch clearance on the left side and a handrail.
To reach the bathrooms from the studio, exit through the double doors and proceed straight through the lobby and down the hall . Turn left, and the two bathrooms will be on your right side. The closest one has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The far bathroom is accessible.
Alysha Seriani is a media artist and educator and has been a proud VIVO instructor since 2017. Her practice revolves around horizontal styles of collaboration and learning and is informed by embodying intersectional feminism, intergenerational learning and queer joy. In 2019, she was a recipient of Telefilm Canada’s Talent to Watch program, and her first short film SOAK (2014) is distributed by the CFMDC. She developed a youth mentorship program and associate produced THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN (2019) and has been a collaborator for many media artworks and films that have exhibited at film festivals and galleries around the world. You can check her out at alyshaseriani.com.
Sepideh Saii's videos have been shown in galleries and film festivals throughout Europe, Canada, the United States, and Japan. In 2014, she exhibited her film, Behind the Scene, at Whitechapel Gallery alongside artists Shirin Neshat and Bill Viola. Saii has extensive experience teaching film production at Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr University of Art Design, and the University of Oregon. In 2009, she received her MA in Fine Art Media at UCL’s Slade School of Fine Art in London, England. Currently, she teaches video production at Vancouver Technical Secondary School.
Pietro Sammarco records bands, produces music and sound for film, DJ’s karaoke, and is co-editor of Spoox Audiozine. He graduated from the School of Communication Master’s program at Simon Fraser University, combining the fields of soundscape composition and media education. Currently Education Coordinator at VIVO, Pietro has also served as a director with The Safe Amplification Site Society, a non-profit venue dedicated to music for people of all ages; was a member of local performance art group Norma; played in Balinese-style orchestra Gamelan Bike Bike; toured extensively as trombonist with They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?; and was Resident Audio Expert with the VPL Inspiration Lab. He completed the Audio Engineer Work-Study program at the Banff Centre, and holds a Bachelor’s in Media Arts from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design.
