Headlands Center for the Arts

Voicehandler: Jacob Felix Heule and Danishta Rivero

Artist Statement

Voicehandler plays intuitive, incantatory music grounded in the most primitive and somatic instruments—the voice and percussion—juxtaposed with contemporary, disembodied electronics. We situate ourselves in our physical and social environment through our music. Our improvisations are shaped by their setting and context, and we use site-specific installations to more deeply experience spaces. We deconstruct song forms in relation to mythology and literature to explore our humanity and the shifting discourse surrounding it.

While at Headlands

We will explore the area through improvising, listening, walking, sitting, and swimming. We will implement a site-specific generative sound environment to frame improvisations within the context of the space. This work will follow previous projects at Mare Island and the Sutro Baths ruins. We will also compose music for our duo as a continuation of our song cycle.

Selected Works

Live improvisation by Voicehandler, 2015; documentation of live performance.
song cycle by Voicehandler
“Song Cycle” by Voicehandler, 2015; audio recording.

Live improvisation by Voicehandler, 2016; documentation of live performance.

“Floaters 2” by Voicehandler, 2016; documentation of live performance.