Touch Me LOUD
Performance, Research & Installation
LODED BODIES exhibition by LODE collective
Errant Sound, DE
2023
Kayla Elrod
Photo Credit: Kim Wichera
Lately I’ve been thinking about the little things: gestures, mannerisms, the drumming of fingertips on a surface— fingernails. Long plastic fingernails, already grown out fingernails, runaway fingernails escaping the cuticle with a raised edge.
Touch Me LOUD explores the sonic potential and histories of fake fingernail extensions. In collaboration with Berlin-based nail artist BOOSHI BISH, we designed and tuned 10 fake fingernails, creating individual acoustic instruments that are worn on my fingertips and played by scratching, tapping, drumming, and exploring surfaces with my hands. Each nail is fitted with a 10mm piezo microphone to amplify my tactile expressions. During this exhibition, I explore the space of Errant Sound, first during a 4hr. durational performance. I explore while blindfolded and connected to 17m of cable, spiraling off each fingernail and connecting into a Very big and Very loud sound system. The following night I distilled my research into a 30min performance, exploring the most sonically interesting spaces for a captive audience.
escapism, catwoman, ex-love, sexuality, ASMR, placesonline, cables&beingconnected, soundart, plastic, tape, foundspeakers, nails, fingernails, fakenails, shiny, high-gloss, tech
Image left: 10 fake fingernails with 10mm piezo microphones. Adhered and designed by Booshi Bish <3. // Image right top: me scratching blindfolded wearing my sonic fingernails and performing for a live audience. // Image right bottom: me crawling toward my installation (giant speakers) to make more noise.
The exhibition LODED BODIES was the first exhibition by LODE collective and ran from 08.02-12.02 2023 at Errant Sound. Below is an outline of how my project unfolded during the course of the exhibition:
08.02 Research through a 4h durational performance. Recorded.
09.02 Installation: 2 speakers wrapped in black plastic, 10 sonic fingernails, 17 x 10m of cable, mixer & amp. 2h of my 4h durational performance from the night before was recorded and played back through the speakers as part of the installation. The channels are panned left and right to signify the left and right hand. The audio can be listened to here.
10.02 Installation and Performance
11-12.02 Installation