Research team
The Voice of Many Waters: Acoustemopoetic Composition of Carmelite Mysticism.
Abstract
'The voice of many waters' is how 16th-century Spanish Carmelite nuns describe God's voice. Despite their resonance with musicality, Carmelite mystical texts have never been examined through the lens of sound. This project pioneers an exploration of the sonic force within Spanish Carmelite literature. It proposes that voice and audition in female Carmelite spirituality are vital modes of world-knowing, and contributes an innovative methodology—uniting theoretical inquiry and artistic practice—that mobilizes Carmelite texts to forge a new experiential mode of knowledge production. Through close literary analysis, I will trace recurring motifs in the nuns' portrayals of vocal and auditory experience. Applying the concept of 'acoustemopoetics' (acoustics, epistemology, poetics), I will shape a compositional practice that in turn reframes the theory: deploying acoustic strategies derived from literary motifs, I will render Carmelite spiritual writings into sound, drawing on sacred and vernacular music, oral tradition, sound art, and collective vocal creation. The project proposes a transformative model of mystically grounded composition, adaptable to other textual corpora, in which sonic perception, epistemic formation, and mystical frameworks interrelate. It foregrounds the generative power of reciprocal exchange between artistic practice and scholarly research, cultivating a transdisciplinary dialogue among female mystical literature, historical sound studies, and sonic arts.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Arblaster John
- Fellow: Damsky Tomer
Research team(s)
Funding
- FWO
Project type(s)
- Research Project
The Voice of Many Waters: Acoustemopoetic Composition of Carmelite Mysticism.
Abstract
'The voice of many waters' is a description of God's voice by 16th-century Spanish Carmelite nuns. Despite their distinct musical quality, the Carmelite mystical texts have never been studied from the perspective of the sonic. This project is the first to uncover the unexplored sonic substance of Spanish Carmelite literature. It suggests that voices and hearing in feminine Carmelite spirituality are key elements of knowing the world, and contributes an original methodology—combining theoretical and artistic research—that uses Carmelite texts to generate a new experiential way of constructing knowledge. In a close reading of the primary sources, I will identify literary motifs of how the nuns describe voices. Applying the term 'acoustemopoetics' (acoustics, epistemology, poetics), I will formulate a composition practice to then reframe the theory: using acoustic tools based on literary motifs, I will translate Carmelite spiritual texts into sound, using techniques from sacred and folk music, oral transmission, sound art, and collective vocal creation. I will thus show how sonic perception, knowledge construction, and mystical frameworks connect, providing a new approach towards mystically-informed composition that can be applied to other texts. The project will illuminate the productivity of a reciprocal relationship between art and scientific research, creating a transdisciplinary dialogue between feminine mystical literature, historical sound studies, and sonic arts.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Arblaster John
- Fellow: Damsky Tomer
Research team(s)
Funding
- BOF
Project type(s)
- Research Project