Cassette catharsis

Despite the instant gratification of digital streaming, there are a growing number of music lovers (re)embracing the nostalgic, tactile experience of vinyl and cassettes – Glynis Grant-Henderson is that type of enthusiast. Her installation The Mixtapes and her autobiographical project from which it derived – The Mixtape Manifesto – are a romantic ode to the cassette, and a unique form of music therapy. Both are on view now as part of the dynamic AGO exhibition I AM HERE: Home Movies and Everyday Masterpieces. 

From old photo albums to major works of contemporary art, I AM HERE commemorates our universal need to capture and share our lives. Among the exhibition’s many highlights are Andy Warhol’s Time Capsules, Arthur Jafa’s Love is the Message, the Message is Death, and home videos from the Prelinger Archives. For The Mixtapes, Grant-Henderson compiled a dozen cassette tapes of assorted music – everything from Cyndi Lauper to Doja Cat – that play aloud through a classic boom box in the exhibition. 

Grant-Henderson’s artistic exploration of cassette mixtapes began in 2018 when she created The Mixtape Manifesto – a seven-song cassette paired with an accompanying zine of personal anecdotes. In it, she weaves together a comedic hybrid of journal entries, song lyrics and short stories, attempting to conduct what she describes as musical therapy. Grant-Henderson begins the zine describing a life-altering break-up, proceeding to share the intimate details of her healing journey thereafter with seven personal stories – each interwoven with the lyrics of a song. 

In the below excerpt from The Mixtape Manifesto, Grant-Henderson describes the end of a romantic relationship, colouring her story with the lyrics of Electric Light Orchestra’s Telephone Line.           

“There’s a big difference between mixing a tape and just popping songs on a playlist for someone you kinda dig. Each of those 30 minutes, my hand on the REC, my focus on him. Wasted breath, I know now, but when I was mixing it…? It felt like freekin’ gold, even if his mixed emotions were obvious next to the ones on my sleeve.

“Hey, how you feelin'?

Are you still the same, don't you realize the things we did

We did were all for real, not a dream

I just can't believe they've all faded out…”

We all know those woes. There’s nothing that calls for music therapy like a beaten and beating heart. I mean, realistically I wasn’t going to let my heart beat a minute longer than the remainder of that ELO song, but during those moments that I allowed myself to feel the feels…

I’m Livin' in Twilight.”

The Mixtape Manifesto grew in popularity in 2018 when Grant-Henderson embarked on a road trip across Canada, dropping off free copies of the Manifesto at record stores throughout the nation. Don’t miss The Mixtapes, part of I AM HERE: Home Movies and Everyday Masterpieces, on view now until August 14 at the AGO. 

Stay tuned to the AGO Insider for more stories about this exhibition and other exciting AGO programing.