Following the wonderful response to our Michaelmas Term event, Trans and Queer Voices in Performance Research returns for round two of our three-part series.
As co-chairs, Dr Jacob Mallinson Bird and I were thrilled to welcome so many people to our first study day. The discussions were fantastic, and it was great to see new connections forming across Oxford and beyond.
This next gathering continues our focus on trans- and queer-led research in performance, sound, and artistic practice. Join us on Thursday 29 January at the Ruskin School of Art for an afternoon of talks, performances, and discussion.
We’ll start with a panel on voice and voicing, which I’ll chair. The co-founders of Trans Voices—the UK’s first trans, non-binary, and gender-non-conforming choir—will be joining us, whose work brings together trans embodiment with AI and quantum technologies in fascinating ways. ILĀ and Coda will perform work related to their recent piece UN/BOUND, a sound installation that featured as part of the Barbican’s ‘Feel the Sound’ exhibition in 2025.
Our second panel will feature artists Liz Rosenfeld and Rose Wood, focusing on trans bodies in performance. Through discussions of performance art, film, and writing, they’ll explore bodies as collaborative materials—what they can hold, reveal, or release. The discussion will range from cruising as method to endurance performance, considering how trans and queer work challenges traditional ideas about memory, embodiment, and taking up space. This panel will be chaired by Dr Bird.
Whether you’re an undergraduate, postgraduate, researcher, professional services staff member, or member of the public, you’re warmly welcome. We’re hoping for another afternoon of rich listening, exchange, and thinking together. We’ll wrap up with drinks—and a special guest intervention…
Supported by the Performance Research Hub
