Vocal devising with seashells: An invitation to voicing thelxis

Abstract

This Voicing emerges from an experimental workshop, which is part of an ongoing practice-as-research project on voicing enchantment. The research project is inspired by Siren song, which according to the ancient Greek myth is sung near the sea and is purported to produce thelxis (‘enchantment’) in all who hear it. With the help of poetic and photographic material, this Voicing narrates the development of the workshop, which oriented workshop participants’ listening to the sea as they imaginatively explored the potential remnants of Siren song in seashells. With audio-visual material offering glimpses into the workshop, and with experiential invitations to the reader interwoven in the writing, this contribution attempts to offer a novel way to experience the mythical Siren song and also proposes a path towards a speculative, ecological vocal practice.