Short bio:

Yvon Bonenfant (he/him) is a performance-maker, art-maker and researcher. His work explores the sensual power of the unusual voice and body. From 2023, he is working on distilling research-creation methodologies in order to make ‘artistic thinking’ accessible to non-artists with artistic researcher Brice Catherin. Since 2010, his research-creation practice has largely focused on unearthing and developing how we best invite participants to explore the virtuosic glory of their own vocal difference, and to celebrate that difference. By extension, he is interested in tactile art and performance, haptic visuality, and environments that celebrate the artistic expression of unruly bodies. His work and collaborations have shown in 10 countries over 30 years and he has published widely. He is Professor, Theatre; Director, Future Humanities Institute, and co-Lead UNICArt, with University College Cork, Ireland.  

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CV portrait in highlights:

Work has been funded by: Arts Council (Ireland); Arts Council England; Wellcome Trust Small and Large Arts Awards; Irish Research Council; Arts and Humanities Research Council of the UK; British Academy; and with Tract and Touch, by Arts Council England; Youth Music; Postcode Community Trust; and co-production funding from Stockholm City, Stockholm County and Swedish Arts Council. Production residencies: The Place (London); Experimental Media and Performing Arts Centre (EMPAC) (Troy, NY, USA); Creation Centre, The Point (Eastleigh, UK); Mile Zero Dance (Edmonton, Canada); ENSAD Limoges-Aubusson (France); Weld (Stockholm, Sweden). Mediums: Touring theatrical stage shows (Uluzuzulalia, Beacons); participatory music theatre (The Opposite of Queer Trauma); mobile theatre of the voice (Resonant Tails, Loop Love); work for public space (Curious Replicas, The Voice Trunk, We Wink We Wink our Voices Blink, The Opposite of Trauma, and one activity of The Opposite of Queer Trauma); interactive installation (Curious Replicas, Resonant Tails, We Wink We Wink our Voices Blink, The Voice Trunk); voice-videoart (Intimacies); voice-painting (B(earth)); iPad app (Voice Bubbles); sound recordings (Masz, Soie soyeuse); Performance art (Soie soyeuse, Beacons, The Opposite of Trauma); voice-dance/movement (Wig Show; The Opposite of Trauma; Intimacies); collaborative participatory ‘Zine with team of co-artists (The Opposite of Queer Trauma). When younger I worked regularly in choreographic contexts. Sample guest teaching: University of Rennes 2 Centre for Art in Public Space; Bauhaus University Weimar (artistic methodologies); UniArts Stockholm; UniArts Helsinki; Liszt Academy Budapest; ESMAE Porto; University of Limerick; Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama; Mile Zero Dance; University of Bristol; CEPIA; University of Leeds. Numbers reached by work: The Voice Trunk, situated in Winchester Science Centre for nearly 7 years, reached numbers in the hundreds of thousands; Resonant Tails, for children & other young people with PMLD, reaches 300 users intensively and repeatedly in any given year. I make work for both mass publics and the most ‘niche’, historically marginalised audiences Publications: artist’s book, 1 guest edited journal issue, 2 online research-creation edited-curated collections, 10+ book chapters, 15+ peer reviewed articles, etc. My most cited article is Queer Listening to Queer Vocal Timbres from way back in 2010 - few read it until about 7 years after it was published. Presentations or papers given: 55+. PhDs examined: 12 and counting.

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