Gestural systems for the voice: performance approaches and repertoire

ABSTRACT

Singing, like dance, emerges directly from the body. The voice, in combination with whole body movement, constitutes a potent form of self-expression. Gestural systems offer a specialized context in which to explore the intersection between voice and movement. The practice-based investigation presented in this article charts the development of an original musical work, Intangible Spaces, which gives form to the invisible aspects of voice and movement through gestural control, physical modelling synthesis and visual feedback. I draw on embodied and performative autoethnographic methods to capture the felt sensations and sound-movement associations that arise during the composition process. I also explore the performance approaches of key practitioners in the area to gain a broader understanding of the ways in which musicians leverage existing performance skills to uncover novel connections between movement and voice in gestural performance.

KEYWORDS:

• Voice
• gestural musical performance
• embodied autoethnography

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Mary Mainsbridge is an artist researcher specializing in the areas of live electronic music and gesture-controlled performance. She has toured throughout Europe, Australia and the UK, presenting audio-visual compositions and interactive installations at the Institute of Contemporary Art, London, Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Sydney, and numerous international festivals such as the Pohoda Festival, Slovakia; Sziget, Hungary; Vivid Sydney; Electrofringe; and the Underbelly Arts Festival. Mary’s recent works explore relationships between voice and movement in performance, incorporating holistic and improvised movement approaches drawn from contemporary dance and somatic disciplines. She lectures in music production and performance practice at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. As a performer and digital musical instrument designer, she is currently developing new repertoire and investigating specialist performance strategies for custom-designed gestural instruments.