Aus Atem

Performance for inhaling vocalist and bags of exhaled air
Installation with video and artefacts of the performance

Which strategies can I use to continue singing during the current corona situation, without emitting potentially dangerous aerosols? What are the consequences for vocalists?
What will the future of singing look like?

In front of me stands a miked light base illuminating a stack of cellophane and parchment paper bags. Pushing myself to my physical limits, I solely sing whilst breathing in. Exhaling with closed lips, I sing a variety of highly amplified humming sounds. The sound spectrum of this claustrophobic condition ranges from ingressive wheezing, whistling, creaking, shrill and frail multiphonics, to soft and high bel canto-like tones. An additional contact microphone amplifies the voice singing through my skin. As the performance progresses, I release all of my exhaled air into cellophane and parchment paper bags held in front of my mouth. They turn into a mask, a breath reservoir, air filter, inhaler, and drum machine. I place the bags filled with breath on the light base. Constantly inhaling, I sing a duet with a nascent, crackling sculpture composed of light and exhaled air.