Luca Perciballi
THE BODY IN WIRES: possibilities of the performing body in a solo electroacoustic environment
This research investigates electroacoustic solo performance as a form of emergent multimodal choreography. I explore the syncretic relationship between the performer’s body, instruments, and technology, where the body acts as both a visual and sonic instrument.
The core inquiry of this study is to develop a renewed conception of electroacoustic performance from the human body’s perspective, accounting for its limitations and recovery cycles. This leads to key questions: Is the relationship between body and technology a territory of compromise and constant negotiation, where embodiment is continually enhanced or limited? With the performer’s body and perspective on the music as foundation, what techniques does the performer need for creative embodied performance, and what theatrical elements and modes of expression are available to the performing musician?
Adopting an ecological approach to improvisation, I navigate a performance ecosystem encompassing body, instrument, technology, and environment. This investigation integrates musical and choreographic improvisational practices, seeking to define what I call bodily informed improvisation. In defining improvisational frameworks grounded in Rudolf Laban’s Theory of Movement, I examine findings from their application to specific case studies.
Ultimately, this research seeks to expand the potential of electroacoustic performance by developing specific technological environments and exploring novel dramaturgical and choreographic modalities, highlighting the impact of critically rethinking the human body’s role in technologically mediated music performance.
Keywords
Electroacoustic performance, Embodied improvisation, body/technology interaction, multimodal choreography
photo credits: F. Sigillo