Pythia:Delphine21 by Mark Bokowiec Julie Wilson-Bokowiec, performer
Pythia:Delphine21 stages an act of live mediation, bringing the essence of the ancient practice of the Delphic Oracle into the 21st century The piece explores the context, resonances, practice and aesthetic synergies between the ancient and a distinctly contemporary form of sonic mediation. Recasting the pythian/bodycoder performer as medium and mediator in which the live manipulation of voice is socially and politically charged with meaning. The Max/MSP environment for Pythia:Delphine21 attempts to configure the relationship between the Oracle and Apollo (the medium and the Other) in what is essentially a form of dialogical physical possession. The piece makes use of both live and automated processes, hierarchical diffusion patterns are countered by live/gestural spatialization, while live sampling and gesturally embodied granular processes drive disembodiment/dissociation and transformation of the live voice through a set of very specific sonic images and personas. The result is a strongly nuanced duet between what is seen (the performer/medium) and what is unseen (the system/other). The power-play (the seizures of control) that takes place between these two elements is visceral and dramatic, deliberately theatrical and operatic in scale. The piece is fully scored with some moments of extemporisation, and no off-stage sound manipulation.
