A dozen years ago, I was given a room and a bunch of
synthesizers and samplers by the folks at work to become the CBC Radio ‘Experimental
Audio Room’. As fun a sonic playground as one could wish.

 The idea was to use
midi technology to enhance the sound of CBC Radio with music themes, stings,
and whizbang sound effects and other forms of auditory ‘ear candy’. Sort of
like the famed BBC Radiophonic Workshop of ‘Hitch-Hiker’s Guide the Galaxy’ and
‘Doctor Who’ fame.

While I was toiling away adding sonic baubles and bits to
shows like Quirks and Quarks and Three Minute Theatre, a young Asian associate
producer started coming around to check out what I was doing. Her name was Ann
Shin and she was from B.C., of Korean descent.

 It turned out she was
a poet and she was looking to have her poetry arranged electro-acoustically. I
thought this was a good idea and we did a bunch of pieces together, going so
far as to perform them live a few times.

Later, when the show Outfront was starting up, I suggested
to Ann that we use these pieces as the basis for a show. The poem ‘Breathing
the Air of our Ancestors’ was the start of it.

We won a Gold at the New York International Radio Awards
with this. Cool!