A Song for Eurydice is a running based performance by James Steventon, Jason Singh and Leafcutter John.

Through an interface designed by Leafcutter John, Steventon’s elevated heartbeat is transmitted in real time to Singh’s live music sequencer. Through a skillful treadmill running performance, the tempo is set by the alternating heart rate. Singh’s live vocal response in turn directly affects the heart rate, setting up a circular, symbiotic relationship where Steventon’s heart becomes both instrument and perceiving organ, as Singh composes the running journey.

The resulting visual and auditory performance is a live exchange between body and voice, with the control of oxygen common to both.

Live recording from University of Reading’s Journeys Across Media 2013 Conference: The Body and the Digital, 19 April 2013.

Images: Kenneth James Martin