Babilu Volati

for female voice and interactive computer (max/msp)
composed 2008; duration app. 16 minutes
world premiere may 18 2008
re-new digital arts festival 2008, Copenhagen (Denmark)
premiered by Nabina Bensouda

Babilu Volati is an audio-visual stage performance immersing the singer into particles of voice. While the performer sings (poems and original text), visual particles are emitted on the screen as the speech is pronounced.

If the particles have enough energy, they will attain and form a central structure, while if they do not possess enough energy, the particles will not reach the central structure, but instead disappear. The interpretation of the visuals has several possibilities. One is related to the Tower of Babel in which all speech is contained, and that the singer is building when singing and speaking. As we all know, the immensity of the tower of Babel made communication impossible, and in Babilu all the particles gathered in the tower cannot ‘understand’ each other anymore. While the speech particles are more and more easily assimilated by the tower, the process shows the incomprehension and lack of accumulation of signification.

The spectator is offered both a concert and a poetic vision of voice as the building material of an imaginary matter made of words and thoughs.

For detailed information including research background and downloadables please go to the Babilu Volati website.

List of Works

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