Call for Participation — Textile Testimonies Workshop @ NIME '26 (London)

[Jocelyn Ho]

Call for participation

We invite women and non-binary people who carry the majority of housework in their households to participate in Textile Testimonies: Feminist Sonic Practices with Domestic Instruments, a hands-on, in-person, closed workshop at NIME '26 in London (June 23–26, 2026).

Tuesday 23 June 2026, 14:00–18:00 

Room 207, LUL Here East Campus, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, UK

What it's about

Across cultures, domestic labor remains disproportionately carried out by women, yet it is frequently invisible and undervalued. Despite policy efforts aimed at improving gender equity in employment and caregiving, these inequalities persist in everyday domestic life.

The Textile Testimonies workshop addresses this issue by bringing together participatory social research methods and experimental musical interface design in a new way.

The workshop is part of the Women's Labor initiative, which transforms domestic tools into new instruments for installation, composition, and performance.

You'll work directly with two NIMEs developed in the project: the Embedded Iron and the EM Loops & Baremin Embroidery Hoops.

What you'll do

Over four hours, the workshop moves through three stages:

1. Story Circle Method  — a facilitated, turn-taking dialogue where participants share lived experiences of domestic labor in a safe, supportive space.
2. Banner-Voice making — translate your testimonies into textile banners using fabric collage and conductive materials, then test them on the instruments to discover how material choices shape sound. Your banners become playable textile scores.
3. Participatory performance (1 hr) — co-create a performance and accompanying score with banners and instruments, drawing on Pauline Oliveros's Deep Listening principles and .

Your banners will join the Women's Labor Living Archive, continuing on in future installations and performances.

Who should join

We welcome up to 16 participants—women and non-binary people who carry the majority of housework in their households. No musical, technical, or craft experience is required; all materials and instruments are provided. The workshop is in-person only given its hands-on nature.

To take part

Please fill out the registration form here: https://forms.gle/dYQ7yKPoruWjigPw6

Registration deadline: until maximum (16) participant number reached.

Workshop website: https://nime2026.org/proceedings/327.html 

Questions are welcome: email Dr. Jocelyn Ho (jocel...@sydney.edu.au)

We look forward to making sonic testimonies with you in London.

 

Organisers

Jocelyn Ho (University of Sydney)

Sofy Yuditskaya (De Vinci Higher Education)

Margaret Schedel (Stony Brook University)

Susan Goodwin (University of Sydney)

 

DR JOCELYN HO 

Lecturer, Sydney Conservatorium of Music THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Steinway Artist

www.jocelynho.com