Liste and Oxygen Thief
Donna Hewitt using wearable interface during Macrophonics II sound check ISEA2013. Final section of Oxygen Thief
Compilation of Live Performance at ISEA2013 videoed and edited by Sam James
Live Performance of Oxygen Thief – Lady Electronica Showcase 2012
The works Listen and Oxygen Thief are composed for an instrumental style performance interface the eMic (Extended Mic-Stand Interface controller) based around a sensor enhanced microphone stand. The eMic design was initially based on a study of the gestural language of singers who use stand mounted microphones, The interface has been progressively refined through successive prototypes and has served as a platform to explore questions around the relationship of the sound, voice, body and gesture. The interface has thus been the basis for a series of works that explore different approaches to composition and performance that provide responsive control over a singer’s voice in performance.
The two works performed at ISEA are ‘Listen’ and ‘Oxygen Thief’.
Listen – Program Note.
Listen reflects the tender yet poignant challenge of communication, drawing inspiration from an interaction with my young son as he navigated the frustration of expressing himself with a still-developing vocabulary. The piece embodies the emotional struggle faced by those—young or old—who find themselves unable to translate their thoughts and emotions into words.
This composition explores the deep, internal tension between wanting to speak and the inability to do so. It speaks not only to children learning language but to anyone whose feelings or experiences are too complex, overwhelming, or elusive to be articulated verbally.
Listen is a meditation on the power of empathy—the quiet strength in simply being present for another person. It resonates with the nurturing desire to offer comfort, understanding, and a safe space for those who struggle to communicate. The music serves as a reminder that sometimes, true listening transcends words.
Work in Progress – Listen
Oxygen Thief Program Note:
In Oxygen Thief, the suffocating nature of toxic relationships is laid bare. The composition explores the emotional terrain of feeling trapped, where every breath feels stolen, and the air around you seems to vanish. It captures the experience of being in a relationship so overwhelming, there is no room to breathe—no space to be yourself.
The work conveys the feeling of being cut down by the sharp edges of someone’s words, where language itself becomes an assault. The relentless pressure, the exhaustion of trying to find relief or escape, is woven into the fabric of the music. Each note mirrors the feeling of suffocation, the tightening grip of a relationship that consumes and controls, leaving no room for expression or release.
At its core, Oxygen Thief is a musical reflection on the claustrophobia of such relationships, where one’s sense of self is slowly eroded. It is a sonic depiction of the fight to reclaim space and air—to break free from the suffocating hold and breathe again.
Live Performance at Lady Electronica Showcase, Judith Wright Centre, Brisbane
Dancers: Lizzie and Zaimon Villmanis AV Wade Marynowsky
Donna Hewitt 