words: amplified, echoed, distorted, interrupted, muted

identity: made, forced, trapped, hunted, tamed, manipulated, exploited

This is a collaborative work; both performers use the pronoun 'they,' and we both experience violence from patriarchy and binary gender discipline and punishment as two sides of the same coin. In this piece, we have two small in-mouth speakers designed by us and placed inside our mouths during the performance, controlled by electronics. We will play with their feedback and processed distortions using two microphones as a metaphor for the conflict between our true selves and the forced identities imposed by the binary and patriarchy system.

Texts play an important role in this piece, delivered both acoustically and through the in-mouth speakers. We use words closely associated with our personal traumatic experiences - words we were taught, taunted with, disciplined, punished, and body-shamed by people around us, strangers, social media, and the 'BIG' voice of society that infiltrates our minds in various ways, consuming our real identities. We also present how protests have been oppressed and twisted to opposite meanings through the act and sound effect of 'muting' the in-mouth speakers. This aims to reveal how women’s voices have been tamed, distorted, interrupted, muted, and oppressed.