MICKI-LEE SMITH
Magnetic Mother (2026)
By: Micki-Lee Smith, Zakriya Bashir-Hill and Pratap Mathews
“Magnetic Mother” is an interactive audiovisual installation that explores the instinctual pull of nature through an intimate expression of light, song and bird.
What is it?
“Magnetic Mother” attracts audiences to experience the pull of a comforting world of light and song, encouraging them to reflect on how instinctual, seemingly automatic processes in nature have been disrupted. Viewers are guided to touch the base of a lamp that awakens, illuminating the dark with cascades of avian silhouettes and an intimate musical soundtrack. A flock of birds glides across an array of hanging glass forms, dancing about a momentary, fluttering mosaic. Many migratory bird species navigate the world using the earth’s magnetic field, an ability we call magnetoreception. As these birds are displaced and their behavioural and migratory patterns change, will their ability to orient themselves be forever altered?
About The Artists
Micki is a violinist and multimedia artist whose work reimagines classical, jazz and folk music, wistfully whisking in drops of atmospheric emotion. As a hat connoisseur, Zakriya wears many: videographer, audio engineer, fabricator and more! Driven by creative curiosity, Pratap uses his background in computer science and music to solve artistic problems with tech savvy solutions. The three met through University of Toronto's Music Technology Master's program, and have collaborated on climate-focused installations ever since. @mickifiddlesaround @halfmilemultimedia @tyasmusic
Acknowledgements
The artist’s project is supported by the Toronto Arts Council with funding from the City of Toronto. The artists would like to thank Stef Haynes, Kia Kortelainen, Jenn Hui, and Peter Bradley for their artistic and technical contributions. Additional funding by Half Mile Multimedia.
Song Lyrics:
A Path to the Sun
Is coming undone
Oh, Mother
You are
Mother
Sometimes I feel so lost
I can’t see anymore
I don’t wanna be here anymore
I reach for safety
When all I needed was light
You helped me gain some sight
Can you just do it one more time
I’m here, I’m failing
A path to the sun
It waits for no one
Drift, slowly
Mother
I’m sifting through sand
And holding both hands
You’ll be, oh
My Mother
Sometimes I can’t see land
But I dream that it’s yours
I just want to be there at the door
When my hearts open
The sounds they all drown out
And I see forevermore
I’m at the beach where seagulls roar
Not under covers
Installation
Photos
Coming
Soon!
*Lamp is currently under construction
you know how it is...
Reception Perception (2024-2026)
By: Micki-Lee Smith & Pratap Mathews
In collaboration with Zakriya Bashir-Hill,Diana Lawryshyn, Camille Shiu, & Yun Young Lee
A physical rotary phone hosts an interactive voice response (IVR) allowing its users to connect with their admirer! The frustrating options and seemingly one-sided conversation highlight how distance and personal perception colours our view of the environmental crisis.
Connect with your admirer!
1. Pick up the phone
2. Listen carefully to the available Options
3. Select the Option that best represents your current situation, sentiment, or inquiry.
Please note, the clarity of your connection may vary due to wildfire and smoke conditions in the area. We appreciate your patience as this process may feel frustrating. The experience will highlight how distance and personal perception colours our view of the environmental crisis — responses may vary.
This phone has travelled accross Canada
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1-800-INF-ERNO
(2024)
This interactive art installation uses phones, fire, and folk music to explore our connection to the climate crisis.
By: Micki-Lee Smith & Zakriya Bashir-Hill
In collaboration with Diana Lawryshyn, Pratap Mathews, & Yun Young Lee
A phone call bridges the gap between personal experiences and the grim realities that exist on the front lines of the global environmental crisis. A devastating forest fire comes to life. Melancholic melody and wistful lyricism weave into an unsettling crackle, forging together the layers of an uncomfortable and alarming soundscape. Audiences are invited to listen in on both sides of a phone conversation and hear how two extremes, ignorance and unobstructed, inescapable awareness, emerge.
On one end, an individual expresses their excitement and intent to be together with a partner who, amid the crisis, cannot respond. Additional phones surround the seemingly “one-sided” conversation, shedding light on the perspectives between them. A timeless tune cascades through the room, depicting a lover’s plea for connection. This familiar trope is recontextualized, prompting audiences to consider the unseen emotional tolls that hide behind statistics and reports. Explore how distance informs our sense of urgency and apathy towards the environmental crisis. Are you susceptible to disconnection?
Special thanks to Camille Shiu, Alex Dobson, and Nurielle Stern at The Lost & Found Gallery for helping bring this piece to life.
1-800-INF-ERNO premiered at Nuit Blanche Toronto 2024, and ran for a week at The Lost & Found (410 Queen St E, TO)
Supported by Toronto Arts Council with funding from the City of Toronto.
About the Artists:
Micki-Lee Smith + Zakriya Bashir-Hill
Micki is a violinist, composer and multimedia artist, whose work reimagines classical, jazz and folk music, wistfully whisking in drops of atmospheric emotion. As a hat connoisseur, Zakriya wears many: audio engineer, music producer, videographer, photographer and multi-instrumentalist. His work spans many genres. Having met through University of Toronto's Music Technology and Digital Media Master's program, the two first joined forces for Micki’s Nuit Blanche debut, “Submerge” (2023). The installation sparked conversations about underwater acoustic pollution with its eerie and imaginative soundscape.
https://www.mickileesmith.com/ @mickifiddlesaround
https://www.halfmilemusic.studio/ @zakriyabh
Diana Lawryshyn [Role: Lyric Visuals Artist / Painter]
With a style described as “tremulous” and “introspective”, Diana Nadia Lawryshyn is best known for painting on wood surfaces. Central to her practice is a willingness to let the wood’s grain guide her brushstrokes, facilitating an organic expression of what lies dormant in her subconscious. Diana holds a Bachelor of Arts and Education degree from Queen’s University and a Master of Music from the University of Toronto. These educational influences, combined with fine art electives, had unexpectedly given rise to her unique painting style. Her work has received notable recognition, including the City of Oshawa’s Emerging Artist award, "People’s Choice" at the Station Gallery’s Annual Juried Exhibition, and “Best in Show” at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery’s Cultural Expressions Juried Art Exhibition.
@Diana_Nadia_
Pratap Mathews [Role: Fabricator]
With a background in computer science, Pratap’s creative practice is driven by creative curiosity and a keen interest in tackling technical challenges. Following the completion of his master's degree in Music Technology at the University of Toronto, he has been passionately producing and releasing his own pop music under the name Tyas.
@tyasmusic
Yun Young Lee [Role: Creative Audio Editor and Producer]
Yun is a versatile musician based in Toronto, Canada. With a background in jazz, she has focused her skills as a keyboard player, and collaborates with renowned Kpop artists.Yun’s musical journey took her to the University of Toronto, where she delved into the intricacies of music technology, and earned her master’s degree. Armed with this advanced knowledge, she has since become a composer and producer, crafting compositions that span an array of genres.
https://yunyoung.bandcamp.com/album/hours
@yunyoungleeee
Press: " We asked 12 artists
from Nuit Blanche Toronto
how they 'bridge distance' "
Walkthrough Video
Submerge (2023)
An interactive installation that allows you to be immersed into the beautiful, sublime, and eerie world below — with no escape…
Submerge is an 7 minute interactive multi-media composition that sparks conversations about noise pollution and its effect on the preservation of the ocean environment. It features immersive audio, video, audience interactivity, and recordings of underwater sounds blended with synthesized water sounds. The interactive component allows a user to control both the sonic quality and visuals, as the transition from above water to below is initiated through a control device (knob).
By: Micki-Lee Smith
In collaboration with Zakriya Bashir-Hill and Adam Kaleta
"Submerge" premiered at 401 Richmond in Toronto at Nuit Blanche 2023.
Audio was mixed for Dolby Atmos compatibility.