This was a heavy lecture. Rarely are we presented with artmaking borne out of mortal necessity. In Dr. Helen Anahita Wilson’s lecture she discussed sonic ways of being and knowing the human body, uniting the fields of sound studies, music and health. As she stated, “my body always takes the lead and shows me the way”, her work explores corporeal acoustemology.
Her PhD piece, TCH-P, was inspired by the cocktail prescribed to her for breast cancer treatment, iatrogenic experience as the enabling element in a challenge of the illness narrative. The South Indian konnakol, recited while gesturally expressing with a hand that clearly showed an IV drip inserted. She clarified that it was made retrospectively, after her treatment had ended, but it was still starkly convincing. It was a very moving piece. A quiet moment of solitude and positivity amid chaos and a health nightmare. The chant itself was very grounding, slowly morphing, fragmenting. Changing in tone, pitch and speed.
I recognised the rhythm from the wonderfully unfunny Tim Heidecker, Fred Armisen and John C. Reilly comedy show Moonbase 8, that no-one has watched or cares about. I feel ashamed, taking a sidebar about this delightful, mediocre fluff show during a blog post about cancer and life or death. Yet, personal context helped align me with the work itself.
In the other major project she showed, Linea Naturalis, Wilson affirms that we are all bioelectrical beings. Alongside Dr Sandra Knapp, President of the Linnean Society, she studied plants forming the basis for chemotherapy drugs. I think with time, I had lost the conception that plants were still so critical to medicine manufacturing. I found that mild realisation reassuring, much like those visiting the oncology gardens Wilson referenced. A grounding of the often synthetic-feeling medical world in the earthen reality is stabilising in a way. My fiancé was diagnosed in 2022 with Type 1 diabetes, and through GP visits, varying hardcore medications, and finally regular insulin injections, the nature of the human body as an ecosystem became apparent to me. Both how resilient, adaptable, yet fragile it is. A switch can unknowingly flip, and your body decides to try and kill you. From collecting data in the Chelsea Physics Garden, to creating the music, Wilson collated bioelectricity, biosignals, contact mic recordings, and then genetic data and biological analysis. She interpreted drones from genetic data, and frequency readings sent through tape echo. The Madagascan periwinkle as a harp, the devil’s trumpet compared to the brass of Amos Miller. I found the reinterpretation of plants used for chemotherapy treatment as music to be played to those undergoing that treatment to be poetic and meaningful.
It’s very very hard for me to comment on artworks informed by, drawn out by, manifested by near-death experiences. They change the way the brain sees the world, and to discuss taste feels tasteless. I have often found the artistic interpretation of sonification dubious, but I think that has more to do with perceptions of authentic sound. What I appreciated about Wilson’s work and presentation, was her expressed emphasis of the creative intervention occurring in the handoff between initial data and final music.
This also relates to her study of the Krankenhausfunk, or hospital radio. She described the absurdity of hearing the Bee Gees’ ‘Staying Alive’ during her treatment in the production of TCH-P, perhaps Linea Naturalis seeks to amend that, or enhance the experience. Soothing, plant-derived tones to calm the patient.