The anthropomorphic appendages (the working parts of organs and bagpipes) hold a tricky magic of sorts. Inflating and deflating bags and valves have an uncanny presence that is reminiscent of medical equipment, fish bladders, balloons…eerie and playful. That may be attributed to their not-quite human-ness. When it comes to my own work, I’m interested in that not-quite zone, as a destabilizing force.

More recently as part of a commission with Counterflows Festival in Vietnam, I have began to incorporate analogue electronics alongside handmade reed pipes, using basic prefabricated timer modules and industrial electric valves, to control air flow. Despite their apparent limitations, this simple set up, belies a rich world of sonic and technological possibilities, and despite the functional origins of the technology, they can be reorganized, misused, giving them their own particular agency and voice.

The role of technology in my work, then, is very much that of a co-creator, one that assists in the creation of trickery. Working with these tactile and sometimes clunky technologies, allows me to occupy an in-between role of player and assistant, performer and listener… which I think gives space for audiences to negotiate their own roles and positions within the sound and music.

The technological possibilities of air pumps and industrial tubing mean an instrument can be room-sized, with multiple pipes diffusing sound sources throughout an acoustic structure. So when I work with spaces a similar logic is applied. Instruments (and their technologies) are imagined, not as tools to an end, but rather as part of the shifting matrix of spaces, acoustics, audience and performer that make up the environment.

After a prolonged period of touring and live performances the residency would give me the opportunity to build upon these recent developments and deepen this research enquiry, through a combination of studio practice and theoretical research. The framework of the tekhne residency would allow me to contextualise my practice alongside like minded artists and thinkers, and elaborate on the role of technology as a material within my work.

Event in the framework of tekhnē, funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.