Growing up on unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, Stó:lō, and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh, on land colonially known as Vancouver, Snack Witch remembers how their parents would regularly tune into Cantonese radio shows while dropping them off at school or during late evening drives home. Songs to my Ancestors is an audio piece that explores how radio shows connect members of the diaspora with their family, friends and strangers, now separated by land and water, through the crests and fall of sound.
Snack Witch Joni Cheung has expanded on their sonic project through a site-specific zine commissioned by CAFKA. While getting to know Cambridge and its neighbouring cities, they became interested in the ways these towns have always been sites for connection, through bridges, automobiles, electric rail systems turned bike trails, and the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers. waves that can carry your voice and thoughts is a free publication that can be found at locations throughout Cambridge, including all Idea Exchange locations and the Cambridge Centre for the Arts. Using fleeting materials—radio signals and sound; risograph printing and zines—Cheung reflects on the ephemeral ways places, people, and the more-than-human bridge relations across space and time. She hopes these audio and textual expanses can prompt us to think about gentler ways of archiving geographical spaces, as well as the (hi)stories of different lands, waters, and communities.
The zine is distributed throughout locations in Cambridge, including all Idea Exchange locations and Cambridge Centre for the Arts. Pick up a free copy while supplies last!
Be sure to tune into these radio stations that are playing Songs to my Ancestors live on air:
Radio Laurier - Wednesday, December 11 @ 1:00 pm
CFRU - Wednesday, December 11 @ 11:00 pm and Friday, December 13 @ 10:00 pm
This project is funded by the City of Cambridge.
Events
About the artist
🔮 Snack Witch Joni Cheung 🍡 is a grateful, uninvited guest born—and knows she wants to die—on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, Stó:lō, and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh peoples. They are a Certified Sculpture Witch with an MFA from Concordia University (2023). She holds a BFA with Distinction in Visual Art (2018) from the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University. As a wicked #magicalgirl ✨ who eats art and makes snacks, she has exhibited and curated shows, off- and online, across Turtle Island and beyond. Currently, they are based on the stolen lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka peoples, working as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Design and Computation Arts at Concordia University.
They are a recipient of numerous awards, including the Individual Arts Grants—Visual Artists: British Columbia Arts Council; Research and Creation Grant: Canada Council for the Arts; and the Dale and Nick Tedeschi Studio Arts Fellowship: Concordia University. She was waitlisted for the SSHRC - Joseph-Armand Bombardier: Canada Graduate Master’s Scholarship.
Aside from art-making, Joni likes wandering down grocery store aisles and drinking bubble tea.