By Ashley Mussbacher (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: September 18, 2013
Caution tape cordoned off a small paved area behind C building, where the pungent smell of garbage drifted in from nearby dumpsters. Only a chain-link fence separated this party from the parking lot.
It was the perfect scene for the Visual Arts Students Association (VASA)’s back alley barbecue.
A little after noon, students and faculty spilled into the space to slap some paint onto wide sheets of paper, enjoy the free burgers and hot dogs, mingle, and watch visual music on a TV screen.
DJ Tetsuomi Anzai played some great beats to keep everyone in the moment.
Raffle tickets were sold for a chance to win prizes including a UFV hoodie, a Towne Cinema movie bundle, and gift cards for Wired Monk and iTunes. There was also a grand prize 50/50 draw. The draws were staggered between activities with the grand prize at the end.
The event also included a scavenger hunt, with 16 well-worded clues to lead you through the Abbotsford campus in search of artwork.
In the final hour of the barbecue, Anzai silenced the music as chairs were arranged into a circle and African-style drums brought out. Everyone was invited to participate. Visual arts instructor Shelley Stefan led the activity with a West African bass drum.
Hesitantly at first, students took drums and sat in the circle. The covered space soon echoed with uncoordinated rhythms as people familiarized themselves with the instrument, but Stefan called for attention to explain the basic beats. She demonstrated on her drum, and not long after, the circle began to pick up on the beat. Stefan called this process “locking into” a rhythm.
As the circle played, passersby from the parking lot came to take a closer look. The drumming was so loud you could feel it. The sight of 10 to 15 people drumming to a singular “heartbeat,” as Stefan called it, was hypnotizing.
At one point, Stefan used the metal railings to create a rainwater effect – then, anything in the immediate area was fair game to tap, shake, or bang on. The beat changed frequently as people lost their timing or stopped to give their sore hands a rest, but the result was an exhilarating and organic sound.
Every so often a student would pull out of the circle and another would take his or her place. When a song ended, the sudden silence was filled with enthusiastic applause.
“It’s just a fun drum circle.” Stefan explains that drumming is not only fun, but a great way to relieve stress.
Images by Anthony Biondi and Ashley Mussbacher
