Amplify Berlin: XOIR Workshop with Colin Self -vocal workshop on alternative modalities of group singing
SO 14,11.21, ACUD CLUB
Workshop 1: 11:00 - 14:00
Workshop 2: 15:00 - 18:00
Free
More info & registration: www.amplify-berlin.de
ABOUT
XOIR (pronounced like “choir”) is a vocal workshop led by Colin Self which has been conducted at various events and in different settings across the world. Usually used as a tool for experimentation and exploration in group settings, its focus lies on somatic awareness and collective organising, as opposed to memorisation and reciting of sheet music in the binaries of western tradition.
XOIR is a methodology of group-singing that began in 2013, rooted in experimentation and exploration, focusing on collective organizing and somatic awareness over the priority of memorizing and reciting music in the binaries of western music. XOIR is not about professionalism or assimilation, and encourages amateurism as a precedent.
Whether in individual practice or collective applications, XOIR can be a tool of liberation and inclusivity. XOIR presents vocalisation as more than just professional performance, but proposes singing as a way to explore our bodies, their relation to and the interconnectedness with the world around us, and singing with others as a potential path to community-building and organising
A former participant described it in the following terms: “Two hours after a group of us, shy participants, stood in the corners of the room, we became a community of people who talked to each other, sang together, learned songs and lullabies from one another, massaged each other etc. Using ordinary methods (simple singing and movement exercises), all our shame evaporated. An artificial, extremely shy group became a very human group defined by mutual care.”
Colin Self is an artist, composer, and performer based in Berlin, Germany. They work collaboratively with communities to expand consciousness and trouble binarized thinking. Additionally, they have released solo music on RVNG Intl., toured internationally with Holly Herndon as part of her choir and worked as a choreographer on Dan Deacon and QT videos. Their work has been presented and performed in venues and festivals such as MoMA PS1, CTM Fesival, The Dutch National Opera & Ballet and DonauFestival.