Monster Voice: Split Tongue

Youngjoo Jennifer Ryu

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

Monster Voice: Split Tongue is a live recitation composition of a spoken language dedicated to female pain, one that may become a new method of communication for women who hurt. A new sound language based on phonetic symbols, designed using SuperCollider, is read aloud on the custom-built body-worn Arduino instruments. The pain of a hurting woman is difficult to convey to others. Instead of language, the content of pain has been vocalized through whimpers, cries, screams, or silence. Following in the footsteps of generations of women who have attempted to verbalize their pain, the language dismantles the existing [consonant+vowel] language system. Instead, it incorporates the structure of [sound+vowel] to interpret the writings of women who came before us. At the same time, the language is an attempt to vocally communicate the chronic pain of the composer/performer herself, who suffers from fibromyalgia. The process of physically translating the new language, Monster Voice, through the custom-built body-worn instruments revive and give voice to the pain of the composer/performer and the women of previous generations.

Citation

Youngjoo Jennifer Ryu. 2024. Monster Voice: Split Tongue. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15028150

BibTeX Entry

@article{nime2024_music_5,
 abstract = {Monster Voice: Split Tongue is a live recitation composition of a spoken language dedicated to female pain, one that may become a new method of communication for women who hurt. A new sound language based on phonetic symbols, designed using SuperCollider, is read aloud on the custom-built body-worn Arduino instruments. The pain of a hurting woman is difficult to convey to others. Instead of language, the content of pain has been vocalized through whimpers, cries, screams, or silence. Following in the footsteps of generations of women who have attempted to verbalize their pain, the language dismantles the existing [consonant+vowel] language system. Instead, it incorporates the structure of [sound+vowel] to interpret the writings of women who came before us. At the same time, the language is an attempt to vocally communicate the chronic pain of the composer/performer herself, who suffers from fibromyalgia. The process of physically translating the new language, Monster Voice, through the custom-built body-worn instruments revive and give voice to the pain of the composer/performer and the women of previous generations.},
 address = {Utrecht, Netherlands},
 articleno = {5},
 author = {Youngjoo Jennifer Ryu},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.15028150},
 editor = {Laurel Smith Pardue and Palle Dahlstedt},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {September},
 numpages = {7},
 pages = {16--22},
 presentation-video = {},
 title = {Monster Voice: Split Tongue},
 track = {Music},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2024/nime2024_music_5.pdf},
 year = {2024}
}