Connecting to Ground: A Séance in the Wick Woodlands

June Kuhn, Byuka Makodru, Courtney Reed, and Adam Schmidt

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

Connecting with nature, spirits, histories, and the emergent and experiential dimensions of sound, we resist performativeegotism and challenge technosolutionism in music technology through séance. Spirit mediums - human vessels thatinteract with, channel, or anthropomorphise spirits - are cultural links between humans, animals, and the surroundingenvironment. In Western contexts, the medium conducts a specialist practice of discovering and performing techniquesto call upon spirits; however, it is our position that anyone has the potential to become a spirit medium, just as anyonehas creative voice. Using a collection of musical instruments, both acoustic and electronically augmented, we propose anopportunity to spiritually connect with the land and its spirits near the Loughborough University London (LUL) campus.The séance overlaps ritual practices of experimental music-making, healing of the connection between humans and land,and spiritual grounding through meditative exercises. In light of technologically-enforced severances between humansand spirits, we activate our potential as mediums, and use instruments as conduits for rebuilding connection with thesame earth that this conference stands on.

Citation

June Kuhn, Byuka Makodru, Courtney Reed, and Adam Schmidt. 2026. Connecting to Ground: A Séance in the Wick Woodlands. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20741940 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2026_alt_3,
 abstract = {Connecting with nature, spirits, histories, and the emergent and experiential dimensions of sound, we resist performativeegotism and challenge technosolutionism in music technology through séance. Spirit mediums - human vessels thatinteract with, channel, or anthropomorphise spirits - are cultural links between humans, animals, and the surroundingenvironment. In Western contexts, the medium conducts a specialist practice of discovering and performing techniquesto call upon spirits; however, it is our position that anyone has the potential to become a spirit medium, just as anyonehas creative voice. Using a collection of musical instruments, both acoustic and electronically augmented, we propose anopportunity to spiritually connect with the land and its spirits near the Loughborough University London (LUL) campus.The séance overlaps ritual practices of experimental music-making, healing of the connection between humans and land,and spiritual grounding through meditative exercises. In light of technologically-enforced severances between humansand spirits, we activate our potential as mediums, and use instruments as conduits for rebuilding connection with thesame earth that this conference stands on.},
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 articleno = {3},
 author = {June Kuhn and Byuka Makodru and Courtney Reed and Adam Schmidt},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20741940},
 editor = {Allie Texeira Riggs and Giacomo Lepri and Yann Seznec},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 note = {},
 numpages = {7},
 pages = {12--18},
 presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/QDc7eEwdCbQ},
 title = {Connecting to Ground: A Séance in the Wick Woodlands},
 track = {alt.nime},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_alt_3.pdf},
 urlsuppl1 = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_alt_3_file01.mp4},
 year = {2026}
}