Embodied Dialogues: a site-specific performance

Jenn Kirby, and Iris Garrelfs

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

Embodied Dialogues is a collaboration between Jenn Kirby and Iris Garrelfs that affords a flexible performance framework using wearable digital musical instruments (DMIs). In this iteration, both collaborators perform together using sensor-based garments: a Sensor Shirt worn by Kirby and a Sensor Dress worn by Garrelfs. Touch and movement activate site-specific sound materials stored within the garments, which are projected into the space using hand-held speakers. A dialogue emerges between recorded sounds, unamplified voice, and space, resulting in an intimate, spatially situated experience that foregrounds the shared agency of performer and technology. For this performance, the artists’ work with pre-recorded sound materials comprising spoken word, environmental field recordings, and sounds engaging with the history and heritage around the location of the performance venue, Rich Mix, London. These are juxtaposed with live improvised vocal elements that move between abstraction and articulation, responding in real-time to the recorded sounds, the performance space, and its surrounding environment.

Citation

Jenn Kirby, and Iris Garrelfs. 2026. Embodied Dialogues: a site-specific performance. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20782142 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2026_music_39,
 abstract = {Embodied Dialogues is a collaboration between Jenn Kirby and Iris Garrelfs that affords a flexible performance framework using wearable digital musical instruments (DMIs). In this iteration, both collaborators perform together using sensor-based garments: a Sensor Shirt worn by Kirby and a Sensor Dress worn by Garrelfs. Touch and movement activate site-specific sound materials stored within the garments, which are projected into the space using hand-held speakers. A dialogue emerges between recorded sounds, unamplified voice, and space, resulting in an intimate, spatially situated experience that foregrounds the shared agency of performer and technology. For this performance, the artists’ work with pre-recorded sound materials comprising spoken word, environmental field recordings, and sounds engaging with the history and heritage around the location of the performance venue, Rich Mix, London. These are juxtaposed with live improvised vocal elements that move between abstraction and articulation, responding in real-time to the recorded sounds, the performance space, and its surrounding environment.},
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 articleno = {39},
 author = {Jenn Kirby and Iris Garrelfs},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20782142},
 editor = {Lia Mice and Nicole Robson and Tara Pattenden},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 note = {Live Performance},
 numpages = {4},
 pages = {161--164},
 presentation-video = {https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=592GWuhfnRc},
 title = {Embodied Dialogues: a site-specific performance},
 track = {Music},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_music_39.pdf},
 year = {2026}
}