a report by Tera de Marez Oyens as published in the Febuary 1995 ILWC Journal
During the second International Women Music Festival in Vienna last October, I was especially impressed by two artists who were both highly professional and really original. The first one was Gabriela Proy, the creator of "Voices", an interactive Sound Installation. All the women (no men were allowed at this gathering!) had the opportuninty to "talk" to the computer about experiences, questions, and feelings on the theme "Women and Music." Some questions appeared on the screen, and after one pressed a knob to signal willingness for discussion, the recording system started. The spoken answer was, through realtime signalprocessing, manipulated with sounds. Gabriela Proy had programmed specially for this event the software packet Max-Audio, which takes over the transformation of the word files. The sounds were audible through loudspeakers which were placed all through the room. The sound manipulation had nothing to do with the contents of the words; the last recorded answer sounded the first, and the other voices, which were sent by random, provided a continuous sound-architecture in the room. As Proy said, "The sound installation transports and transforms the voices of the women; the voices of the women give form and body to the sound installation."
The composer, who was born in Vienna and studied composition and Gitarre, explains her work as follows: "Composing is for me sound research, the exposition with sound-space in auditiv and social-political meaning. Sounds are pictures of the environment, they represent social-political corections. In composing, I want to communicate, to have contact with the acoustical environment, a discursive dialogue through acoustical parameter. To make it possible to experience communication as interactive sound-architecture is the intention of my work." Although the computer had a temporary breakdown, it was fun to speak into the microphones and to listen to all these voices-angry, or quiet, or cheerful-as an enormous choir.
The other interesting artist was Annemarie Roelofs, a Dutch musician living in Germany. She had a classical education at the Conservatory in Amsterdam, and is a well-known performer in the improvisation circuit. She played both trombone and violin in a magnificent way. Around her body she had a belt with electronic devices, with which she manipulated the sounds she produced, or with which she accompanied herself while playing. A humorous surprise was the trombone/trumpet, one instrument with two sound-results. She used all the possibilities of her instruments in a musical and virtuose way, full of enthusiasm and humor. It was a pleasure to watch and to listen to this talented musician.