Deep

Raul Masu Eleonora Susanna

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

This project investigates the intersection of embodied vocal practice, wearable technology, and electroacoustic composition through the creation of an innovative work that integrates vocal elements derived from auto-ethnographic documentation with real-time biometric feedback systems. The composition emerges from a self-authored audio written diary created during an oncological therapeutic journey, in which vocal production becomes a site for exploring affective and somatic processes that exceed semantic linguistic content. The electroacoustic piece employs the "Below 58" device, an IoT system designed to monitor heart rate in real time and generate responsive sonic manipulations. The device reacts to the singer's cardiac rhythm, creating amplifications and fragmentations of the vocal signal that generate novel sonorities. This technological intervention is integrated with electroacoustic elements derived from the diarist's auto-ethnographic materials, creating a dialogue between the body's vital parameters and compositional intention. The compositive process, situated within contemporary research on embodiment practices in art, documents how vocal production manifests affective and somatic dimensions during experiences of medical precarity and healing. Rather than treating the voice merely as a vehicle for pre-composed material, the project foregrounds the body's capacity to generate meaning through its acoustic and kinetic engagement with sound technology. The collaborative documentation of this process—conducted across composition, performance, electroacoustic design, and musicological analysis—illuminates the embodied knowledge that emerges at the convergence of wearable biometric systems, contemporary vocal technique, and autobiographical sound creation.

Citation

Raul Masu Eleonora Susanna. 2026. Deep. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20782089 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2026_music_22,
 abstract = {This project investigates the intersection of embodied vocal practice, wearable technology, and electroacoustic composition through the creation of an innovative work that integrates vocal elements derived from auto-ethnographic documentation with real-time biometric feedback systems. The composition emerges from a self-authored audio written diary created during an oncological therapeutic journey, in which vocal production becomes a site for exploring affective and somatic processes that exceed semantic linguistic content. The electroacoustic piece employs the "Below 58" device, an IoT system designed to monitor heart rate in real time and generate responsive sonic manipulations. The device reacts to the singer's cardiac rhythm, creating amplifications and fragmentations of the vocal signal that generate novel sonorities. This technological intervention is integrated with electroacoustic elements derived from the diarist's auto-ethnographic materials, creating a dialogue between the body's vital parameters and compositional intention. The compositive process, situated within contemporary research on embodiment practices in art, documents how vocal production manifests affective and somatic dimensions during experiences of medical precarity and healing. Rather than treating the voice merely as a vehicle for pre-composed material, the project foregrounds the body's capacity to generate meaning through its acoustic and kinetic engagement with sound technology. The collaborative documentation of this process—conducted across composition, performance, electroacoustic design, and musicological analysis—illuminates the embodied knowledge that emerges at the convergence of wearable biometric systems, contemporary vocal technique, and autobiographical sound creation.},
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 articleno = {22},
 author = {Eleonora Susanna, Raul Masu},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20782089},
 editor = {Lia Mice and Nicole Robson and Tara Pattenden},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 note = {Live Performance},
 numpages = {3},
 pages = {91--93},
 title = {Deep},
 track = {Music},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_music_22.pdf},
 year = {2026}
}