XRXF: Extended Realities, Extended Feminisms
~~Performances~~
bellevoix, 2024, performance
by Julie Zhu
April 3, 12-12:30pm
University of Michigan
Open to the public
bellvoix is a site-specific performance created for the Burton Tower on University of Michigan’s central campus. Instead of broadcasting songs, the carillon has a speaking voice. Artist and performer Julie Zhu talks through a convolution of her voice and bell sounds to passersby, surprising them with specific details surveilled from the tower, goading them into conversation. When a carillon cyborg finally acquires language, what will she say? How might listeners—who don’t have a choice whether to listen—react to the authority of a public musical instrument who necessarily has opinions? bellvoix makes obvious the specific social contract between the carillon and the community it serves, woos, or antagonizes. Who is the carillon? And why do we bell?
Walking Her Path
by Zeynep Özcan
April 6, 11am-2pm
RSVP Here
Walking Her Path is a public soundwalk experience. Participants will engage in the exploration of their sonic environment, with a focus on listening from a perspectives shaped by the experiences of womanhood and gender dynamics. This activity involves walking, listening and recording, serving as an intentional exercise in auditory examination. During the soundwalk, participants will be invited to actively listen to both the cacophony and the subtleties of everyday life through a feminist lens. They will be prompted to tune into sounds that may symbolize the experiences of womanhood, empowerment, or oppression. For example, the sound of footsteps might symbolize independence and determination, whereas the noise from construction sites or the abrupt blare of car horns might be seen as symbolic of societal interruptions or aggressive intrusions. Attendees will be equipped with handheld field recorders and encouraged to capture sounds that resonate with them personally. Moreover, participants will be encouraged to provide narrations during the soundwalk, articulating their reasons for selecting particular sounds and what those sounds represent to them.