As part of my research, I have been reading Trans* by Jack Halberstam, Man Alive by Thomas Page McBee, The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson, and Amateur By Thomas Page McBee.
It has really made me think about the voice and how in society we perceive as a “male voice”. For example, at my retail job, I find that I get misgendered a lot by customers, despite looking very masculine. The one thing that makes people perceive me a female is my voice – how high it is and the way I speak. I am a very expressive person when I speak and I talk with my hands. My question is: “Why is this the thing that makes me be seen as female?”. Many cis men do the same but they aren’t seen as women. Some cis men have high voices. Some cis women has low voices. It is kind of strange how society has preprogrammed us to putting people into to boxes as soon as the meet them.
In my practice, I have been applying this concept in my soundscape performances. I use my voice to tell my story of who I am, but later I call on other people to share their voice too. I have also been looking at the work of Cassils, a non-binary artist, who uses their voice and body to question society’s views of gender expression. This can be applied to my practice because I exceed all expectations of what others see me as – not in what gender they view me as, but the way I am very bold and confident in my performances, despite being small and seeming timid. The voice can be a powerful instrument for the element of surprise.
