Touch (2016)
For voice and responsive user body suit (RUBS)
Detail
"Touch" was inspired around Lakoff and Johnson’s theory of the embodied mind, in which the same biological mechanisms that inform physical perception also create and affirm our conceptual reality. The text expresses a reliance on tactile validation – “when you touch me / I exist”.
The performer-as-subject comes into being when impressed upon by external influences, just as the RUBS only “comes alive” (through audio triggering and live processing) when touched by the performer.
Because the RUBS system is worn by the performer, they must explore the suit through proprioception. Thus, in practice, rehearsal, and concert the performer is exploring their own body, resulting in a more intimate and expressive method of performance, reflecting Fels’ assertion that instrumental embodiment occurs through intimacy and transparency.
Creative Team