Perforum presents Yvon Bonenfant

4 Sep 2023

Loop Love: Disability, Voice, Virtuosity, and Queered Exchange. 

Loop Love (pictured) is a sculpture, installation and vocal activity programme designed for people with mild to moderate learning disability (PWMMLD). In this presentation, Yvon Bonenfant takes you inside the concepts, learnings and practices that underpinned Loop Love’s development. Yvon will pay special attention to the intersecting dynamics that the participatory artwork addresses: questions regarding non-normative (or extra-normal) voicing; technique and virtuosity; looping, and neurodivergent engagement with the passage of time; somatic engagement with vocal partying; the future of hearing, feeling and exchanging with unusual voices across cultural divides; why mobile vocal theatre is relevant; and why disAbled voices (are) matter. Loop Lovewill be present in the room: you are invited to try the interactive sculpture out for yourself, should you feel like it.

Credits:

The Loop Love sculpture was created by fine artist Alex Pentek with assistance from Jeffrey Weeter and Yvon Bonenfant. Sound art and interactive coding is by Jeffrey Weeter. The Loop Love concept and programme are artistically directed by Yvon Bonenfant. Yvon Bonenfant gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Irish Research Council New Foundations Awards (Phase 1); Arts Council Ireland Participatory Art Project Award (Phase 2); Cope Foundation; Cork Opera House; Cork Midsummer Festival; Graffiti Theatre and Julie O’Leary (for project evaluation phase 1).

Bio:

Yvon Bonenfant is an artistic research-creation specialist whose interventions focus on unusual voices, the tactile register, somatic engagement, and haptic visuality. Since 2010, his performances and artworks have largely been participatory: co-made by their users. Funders have included Arts Council (Ireland), Arts Council England, the Wellcome Trust Large and Small Arts Awards, the IRC, the AHRC (UK), and with his artistic teams, Youth Music, the Postcode Community Trust, and a range of venues and supporters. He has published widely. He is Director of the Future Humanities Institute, and Head of Department – Theatre, UCC. www.yvonbonenfant.com

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Info theatre@ucc.ie