Cneas

somatosensory notation-installation

2025
indeterminate duration

Cneas takes the form of an installation; a three-dimensional score which replaces the semiotics of conventional notation with (asemic) textures. The work aims to develop a notation which invokes the somatosensory system of the performer; rather than reading, she is feeling the notation as she walks over it. She is blindfolded, avoiding all visual association with the materials, and her goal is to make a sonic analogy of the physical composition through sensation alone.

She does this by first familiarising herself with a set of texture categorisations which are defined in the performance notes, and then by determining how her playing corresponds to each category, and how she may combine them and emphasise textural parameters (such as hardness, roughness, etc.). Guidelines for this are also given in the performance notes. Finally, she may rehearse and develop her interpretation (in the same sense that one may interpret a conventionally notated score). In this sense, the score is not an "open" one, and what she plays is not improvised; her approach is predetermined and rehearsed. If she wishes, she may play the piece similarly in subsequent performances, and any differences could be put down to, for example, the natural weathering of the score which occurs through its use.

The performance notes are presented in the form of a small printed book, and accompanied by other writings including a journal based on the topic of touch and a tongue-in-cheek manifesto for somatosensory notation.

The development of Cneas began while artists-in-residence at Arte Studio Ginestrelle, Assisi in September 2024, continued while in residence at Road Books, Iniscarra in February 2025, and was premiered in September 2025 at the Assisi International Contemporary Art Exhibition (XVI Edition). The initial residency was generously supported by the Culture Moves Europe Individual Mobility scheme.

The score before performance:

The score after three performances: