Malleable wearable electronic instruments for participatory sound performance

This talk presents a collection of malleable wearable electronic instruments for participatory sound performance, central to my research and creative practice, illustrated through demonstrations with select instruments. I will outline my current research, which uses arts-based action research to explore the intersection of materiality, agency, and participation through tactile, deformable interfaces that use soft circuitry to facilitate improvisational play and collaborative expression. Materials communicate multiple layers of information; their textures and shapes create emotional associations and cultural meanings. By removing visible technological signifiers, malleable instruments can emphasise human agency and reframe audience expectations about participation. My research explores how material choices shape meaning-making and encourage playfulness within participatory sound performance.

Tara Pattenden is an artist, instrument maker, and PhD candidate at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. Her research builds on two decades of creative practice in interactive arts and noise performance. She has delivered workshops internationally, including at Onassis Stegi Cultural Centre (GR) and the Victoria & Albert Museum (UK), with performance highlights including: Milhoes de Festa (PT); Cafe Oto (UK); Pohoda Festival(SK); Tectonics (UK); CTM (DE); and Le Guess Who Festival(NL). Tara is the founder of Cyber Bunker, an artist-run not-for-profit championing electronic and experimental arts in Magandjin/Brisbane, Australia.