Oscillations: Exploring a Performance Ecosystem Through a Sonic Cyberfeminisms Lens

The audiovisual installation Oscillations turns irons and ironing boards into electronic instruments, in an attempt to deconstruct stereotypical ideas of gender and its assigned roles. The creative practice project aims to investigate the relationships we have with domestic objects and ponder their structures and significance through the design and performance of an interactive ecosystem. Oscillations, both the installation and exegesis, use a sonic cyberfeminisms lens to critically explore aesthetic and relational hierarchies at the intersection of sound, gender, and technology. Three irons and ironing boards have been hacked and retrofitted with embedded electronic instruments that together create a complex feedback network. While the audience is invited to physically interact with the iron instruments and manipulate samples, the sonic state of the installation also changes based on the audio information detected in the environment . Sonic cyberfeminisms is used to reframe discursive music technology practices and within the creation of a work that playfully deconstructs and questions dominant narratives. Through the creation of the audiovisual installation Oscillations, I have identified the need for ongoing creative practice research that transforms theoretical perspectives into creative outputs. Creative works have the potential to bridge the gap between academy and industry, and to contribute to social change.