![a realistic bronze sculpture of a toad in dark brown and soft gold colours](https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Untitled-design-44.png)
Walking as Remapping: Spring Chorus River Walk with Annie Dunning
Join Annie Dunning for a walk along the Eramosa River, where we will listen to and discuss the soundscape emerging from her current studio practice that takes inspiration from the behaviours of common toads and considers the overlap between sound and touch. Each spring, the typically terrestrial toads emerge from their underground hibernation and migrate to water where they mate. Annie’s recent sound-sculpture Toad Touch, pictured here, was inspired by a viral video of a toad sitting in water making its mating call, causing water to ripple in concentric rings radiating from the toad’s body. In response, she made two human-sized bronze toad sculptures that can each hold a sound bowl on its back. When a person rubs their palms on the handles of the sculptural bowl, a sound is generated, and the vibrations create ripples in the water it contains.
Based on her informal tracking of toad mating season, on this walk Annie will take us to locations that toads return to year after year along the river, to see and hear toads as well as the many other amazing creatures who live in our city. This walk is geared towards adults, though all are welcome. Registration is required for this walk as space is limited.
The walk will travel mainly on city-maintained trails, dirt paths, and grassy areas. The route crosses the covered bridge, which has stairs and a ramp on either side. Alternate routes are available. The group will move through buggy areas, so please plan accordingly. There will be opportunities to sit on the ground during discussion at several points of the walk.
Please check your email in the morning if the weather looks ominous as we will be in touch as soon as possible if we plan to reschedule. We are tentatively holding May 14 at 6:30 pm as a rain date. Otherwise, we will be outside for the program and so encourage you to dress for the weather with comfortable footwear for walking. Bring water and sun protection, your curiosity and creativity, and a sense of adventure!
Image detail: Annie Dunning, Toad Touch (detail), 2021, bronze. Courtesy of the artist.
About the artist
Annie Dunning
Annie Dunning is an artist based in Guelph who maintains a transdisciplinary practice, currently focused on sound-sculpture. Conceptually, her work investigates areas of cultural overlap between human and non-human species, with an intent to pursue hybrid ways of knowing. Confusing the expected relationships between species offers new possibilities in sensory understanding of our world and can shift how we imagine possible futures. She holds a BFA from Mount Allison University and an MFA from the University of Guelph. Currently she is researching sound-sculpture as a PhD candidate in the Visual Arts program at York University, with funding support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
View More Programs
![a postcard showing a photograph of the old Guelph Reformatory building when it was being used](https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/gcc-tour-web-header.jpg)
program
Aug 7.2024
![a painting in the woodlands style in solid colours, depicting a man kneeling next to a pile of steaming stones, surrounded by blue and red geometric shapes, with a sun in the top left corner](https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-8-min.png)
program
Exhibition tour with Shauna McCabe and Colinda Clyne
Jul 23.2024
![an artwork on orange paper with a repeating pattern of a person carrying a shovel, outlined in bright green. Another figure is painted on the left side of the image and a drawing of a cabin in a field in the upper right corner](https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nadeau-opening.jpg)
program
Paul Nadeau: Gravel is the New Gold
Jul 18.2024
![a hand is putting down or picking up a gray stone among many smoothed pebbles in earthy tones, some of which have a single gold line painted on them using the kintsugi technique](https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/cathy-chan-tour.jpg)
program
Catherine Chan: Fractures and Futures
Jul 10.2024
![white flowers in a green field with an orange sunset in the background](https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/moth-walk-1x.jpg)
program
Jun 22.2024
![a painting in the woodlands style in solid colours, depicting a man kneeling next to a pile of steaming stones, surrounded by blue and red geometric shapes, with a sun in the top left corner](https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-8-min.png)
program
Jun 13.2024
![two side-by-side headshot photos of curators Tarah Hogue- a woman with long brown hair and bangs, wearing a colourful shirt- and Pablo N. Barrera- a man with short black hair and glasses, wearing a black shirt](https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Untitled-design-41-Copy.jpg)
program
Jun 18.2024
![a headshot photo of Judith Nasby- a woman with glasses and white hair- flanked by the cover images of her two books on either side](https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Untitled-design-37-Copy.jpg)
program
May 30.2024