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in memoriam - chantal dumas – a certain gentleness

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Hello,

I’m interrupting my period of pause in the production of this podcast to share some very sad news. 

A good friend and colleague, Chantal Dumas, passed away on May 17th 2026 after a long struggle with cancer. She was 66 and had much more to live and to give. 

I invite you to share a moment of silence. 

J’offre mes profondes condoléances à la famille de Chantal et à son cercle d’amis qui ont été si présents et fidèle avec elle ces derniers mois. 

My deepest condolences to Chantal’s family and to her circle of friends, who have been so present and in solidarity with her these last few months. 

In order to commemorate Chantal’s life and her creative work, with her permission, I’ve prepared an English language translation of our September 13, 2025 conversation on balado conscient épisode 170 chantal dumas -  une certaine douceur, recorded in Chantal’s apartment in Montreal. 

(field recording of me entering Chantal’s apartment with her ‘big ben’ door chime and a very sonic kiss).

We’ll miss you, Chantal.

A friend once told me that when a loved one passes, one way to honour their memory is to continue the best of their good work. 

But I’m not sure how to do this. 

What I’ll try to do is keep in mind Chantal’s lived vitality, her kindness, her humour and her unique ability to help us listen to each other and listening to the earth. 

I’ve put some links for further information in the episode notes for those who want to know more about Chantal’s life and work. 

Thanks to artist Sabrina Mathews for the narration and to all those who helped me with this episode.   

But before we listen to the episode, I’d like to play you another recording I made at Chantal’s apartment on September 13th, 2025, after our interview. 

In front of us was a componium, which is a kind of music box that plays from a strip of punctured paper. I asked Chantal to explain how the instrument works and to play a composition she made for the instrument, first in forwards mode and then backward. This presentation is not translated into English, but I think you’ll get the gist of it. 

I invite you to listen to this bonus episode of conscient podcast, in memoriam - chantal dumas - a certain gentleness. 

*

(original episode)

  • For me, it calls for us to scale back to much smaller scales, to community scales, I would say, to communities of interest, communities of sensitivity, which invites us to get closer to our own communities, closer to our own being and immediate family, but also to our friends, and to really appreciate that aspect, while remaining sensitive to what is happening around us.  I also think that we need to find a way to — I don't know if I would call it consolation — but in any case, to have a certain gentleness.  I think art can bring that, to calm the anxiety that can be caused by this...  From an ecological point of view, we don't really know what's going on right now.  We see that our political leaders were very attentive during the pandemic and we said to ourselves, “Oh wow, we can hear the little birds,” “Oh wow, the Earth is vibrating less,” so there are fewer earthquakes. We realized that it was largely generated by human activity if the Earth was shaking and all of that.

    • Imagine listening to the heartbeat of the Earth, feeling the rumbling of tectonic plates, and experiencing geological time.

    This is the experience offered by the electroacoustic composition ‘Oscillations planétaires’, ‘Planetary Oscillations’, a creation by my guest for this final episode of the sixth season of balado conscient, sound artist and long-time friend Chantal Dumas.

    Chantal shares her unique perspectives on capturing the hidden movements of the Earth.

    “Planetary Oscillations” is an invitation to listen deeply to the planet beneath our feet, a reminder of the immense timescale of geological processes, and a call for both environmental and spiritual awareness.

    You’ll hear Chantal talk about some of her childhood memories, including the soundscapes of the countryside and also the Villeray acoustique project, an initiative by Chantal and Magali Babin, in collaboration with Espace Projet,which offers signage in public spaces where listening, as a sensory experience, is associated with historical, cultural and ecological information specific to that territory.

    By the way if you’d like more information on this project, listen, in French, to é171 chantal dumas et magali babin (collectif dB) - villeray acoustique, in French, on balado conscient.

    I thank Chantal for our valuable exchange and for everything she is and has done, with love, from us all.

    Photo of Chantal Dumas by Claude Schryer (September 14, 2025, Montreal)

    This conversation was recorded on September 14, 2025, in Montreal in French and was translated into English by Claude Schryer and narrated by Sabrina Mathews. 

    Oscillations planétaires© 2017-18, 19, Chantal Dumas (SOCAN) / Ymx média (SOCAN)℗ 2019, Enregistrements i média (SOPROQ) Appears on the album Oscillations planétaires, empreintes DIGITALes, IMED 19163

    Thanks to Jean-François Denis.

    Thanks also to Magali Babin for use of an excerpt from her field recording 'Marche Pour Andrea 4 juin 2012 Parc Jarry'

    LINKS (selection)

    Obituary

    Chantal Dumas web site (in French)

    Bandcamp

    électroCD

    Electrodoc

    The Radio Art Hour 020: R.I.P. Chantal Dumas

    é171 chantal dumas et magali babin (collectif dB) - villeray acoustique (in French) 

    UNE PSYCHOGÉOGRAPHIE SONORE ~ ENTRETIEN AVEC CHANTAL DUMAS (in French)

    *

    END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

    Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

    Hey conscient listeners, 

    I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

    This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

    • I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
    • I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
    • Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
    • I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

    In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

    Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

    Share what you like, etc

    I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

    Thanks for listening. 

    Claude Schryer

    Latest update on March 21, 2026

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