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17th Conference of the Society for Artistic Research (SAR)

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Submission Number: 352
Submission ID: 419
Submission UUID: dcac2f87-2611-4332-9737-ab1535826602

Created: Sun, 1 Mar 2026 - 22:28
Completed: Sun, 1 Mar 2026 - 22:59
Changed: Wed, 13 May 2026 - 08:17

Remote IP address: 193.207.99.232
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Current page: webform_confirmation

Flagged: Yes
Given name Cecilia
Surname De Lazzaro
Email cecilia.delazzaro@conservatoriovivaldi.it
I understand that by submitting this form, I consent to the use of my data for the purposes of the 2026 Forum on Artistic Research'. Yes
I agree to the terms of service. Yes
Title Sonic Archetypes of the Mondine: Artistic Research as Environmental Testimony
Format Experimental format
Main language English
Abstract This project presents a performative and discursive investigation of the sonic archetype of the mondine — seasonal rice-field workers — as a site of endangered knowledge and minoritised oral traditions. The artistic research positions itself as environmental testimony, making audible the interactions between human voice, ecosystems, and social memory. The work reinterprets historical repertoires through improvisation and site-specific performance, highlighting how vernacular songs and embodied sonic practices resonate with contemporary ecological and social urgencies.
The performances created in this research are grounded in ethnographic and practice-based methodologies, including field recordings, interviews, audiovisual documents, hydrophones and sensors, electroacoustic compositional processes, and vocal improvisation as a form of situated knowledge. Case studies address rice-field pollution, abandoned industrial sites, and invasive alien species, exploring the interplay between human voice and environmental sounds, and demonstrating artistic responses to ecological transformations.
By engaging with the sonic archetype, the research explores how endangered conceptual worlds generate distinctive forms of innovation. The mondina repertoire is treated as generative rather than archival: improvisation mediates dialogue between voice, biophony, geophony, and anthropophony, revealing precarious ecological conditions and making visible subjugated knowledge embedded in the landscape. This approach emphasizes resilience, resistance, and revival, demonstrating the potential of minoritised sonic languages to counter homogenising pressures, platform capitalism, and cultural standardisation, while offering alternative epistemic models for listening, interpretation, and creative action.
The presentation combines live performance and discussion, illustrating how artistic research can act as both an aesthetic experience and a method of ecological and cultural investigation.
Image foto De Lazzaro CV.jpg
Short biographies of the presenter(s)
  • Cecilia De Lazzaro (1992) is an Italian singer and performer pursuing a PhD at Conservatorio Vivaldi, exploring female labour songs through sound ecology, vocal improvisation, and ecoacoustic composition. She teaches Theory and Analysis of Traditional Musical Forms, approaching tradition with experimental and interdisciplinary methods. Her research bridges historical material and contemporary sonic practices. She has presented her work at PARL 2025 (Bruckner University, Linz) and ANDA Symposium, performed at Moncalieri and Torino Jazz Festivals, and released Razzo a Gas (2026), reinterpreting Gaslini’s Total Music through improvisation, acoustic and electronic textures, and narrative-driven soundscapes.
Previous presentations or iterations of the research -27.05.2025,PARL, Platform for Art and Research Linz Overcoming Boundaries: A Dialogue Between Artistic and Scholarly Research. "Sonic Mapping as Cross -Disciplinary Research: Connecting Artistic Practice and Scholarly Inquiry in the Soundscape of Female Rice Field Work Songs"
- 17-10-2025, Anda Symposium: "Dalla figura della mondina alla risaia contemporanea: pratiche
artistiche tra ecoacustica, voce e trasformazione sociale"
- 175-11- 25 Oi dialogoi symposium: La figura della mondina

Additional information
Spatial and technical requirements projector, an audio system with mixer, and a microphone for singing.
Potential risks or ethical concerns
Create a user account for SAR 2026 No