Soundbody workshop

“Rice paper possesses a materiality of emptiness and absence. Its surface does not shine, and it is as soft as silk. When folded, it hardly makes a noise, as if it were stillness itself, condensed in matt white.”
Byung-Chul Han, Absence (2007/2023)

Moreskinsound performance, Glasgow 2024 (photograph by Luke Fowler)

In 1971-2 I had the good fortune to take part in improvisation workshops given by drummer John Stevens at Ealing College. Back then, even though John was challenging some of the fundamental ideas of what music could or should be, we still thought of ourselves as musicians. We all played conventional instruments, working with pitch relationships and temporal agility to create a sound that had historical connections to both Anton Webern and Ornette Coleman. Despite their attachment to the practice of music, John’s exercises led us to a contemplation of sound as a thing in itself; how to think in terms of brevity, sustain, the micro, the extended, the body and its connections. Search and Reflect was the term by which these workshops came to be known. For what did we search? On what should we reflect? Fortunately, that was unclear, something to work out for yourself.

Then in early 2023 I met Ania Psenitsnikova. She had extensive expertise in body work of various kinds and we both had experience with performance art and Butoh dance but identifying with any specific style was not the point. Immediately we began discussing ideas about performance that embraced a wider definition of listening, not just the ear but the whole body attuned to the speaking of the world. How was it possible to enter a space and leave no trace, we asked ourselves? Sound, yes, but sound is frequently a pollutant. Our duo performances under the name of Moreskinsound became an intensive examination of how collaborative listening (in its expanded sense) – through microsound, stillness, slowness, silence, non-intentional movement, materials, objects, light and shadow – intensifies and sensitizes our sense of self in relation to the phenomenal world.

Having run workshops together this summer/autumn, in Prague, Kristiansand, Tokyo, Kunisaki Peninsula and Fukuoka, we are now preparing for the first in a series of London-based workshops entitled Soundbody. Scheduled for February 2026, this workshop is an intensive exploration of how sound and movement can expand our sense of self. Through improvisation with sound and movement, in particular the voice, participants can release emotional blocks, reduce inhibitions, and deepen awareness of space, body, and different states of presence.

Soundbody is a resonant, listening being, investigating its inner and external spaces, experimenting with sensory potential, physicality, and stillness. We will explore silence, micro-sound, stillness and non-intentional movement as ways to expand listening capacity, leading to an ecological approach to being in space. The first step is to listen intensively to unfamiliar sound worlds, extending beyond hearing through the ears to the whole body. The body becomes a complex ear, attuning to the auditory life of objects, materials, and non-human entities.
Through exercises in movement, attention, awareness, breathing, inner listening, and sound improvisation, we will develop a listening that deepens experience of spatial awareness, our own bodies, emotional memory and each other. To prepare both body and perception, we will begin with exercises designed to enhance flexibility, strength, endurance, and responsiveness. Developing awareness and perception is also a key focus of this workshop.

Location: Studio Ma, London, E1 4BG.
Dates: Saturday 21st/Sunday 22nd February, 2026.
Time: 12.00 – 18.00 (doors open 11.30)
No previous experience or background in dance or music is necessary.
Early Bird Special: book now to secure your spot at a discounted rate.

You can book your space here:

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mastudio/1942852

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