colloqium48 - Winnie Huang, Hochschule für Musik Basel

How do you see sound, how do you hear movement, and how does one’s emotive performing transdisciplinary body engender new possibilities? Through interdisciplinary Artistic Research, my work on the Musical-Gestural perspective has provided an exploratory framework in how I educate tertiary level art students on the power of possibility. This presentation explores possibility creation through Artistic Research including an embodied musical-gestural participation from the audience, showcasing the empowerment of practice-based knowledge creation.

Artistic Research is a young field rich in possibilities, allowing deeper understanding on how one can make, think, and talk about art and ultimately how artists participate and share in society. My own diverse artistic career and Artistic Research in the contemporary Musical-Gestural perspective questions creativity and possibility by examining musical freedoms within and beyond boundaries. It examines musical works which feature prominent embodied physical elements, incorporating aspects of dance/choreography and theatre/dramatic expression, from sonic art to physical gestures, and the amalgamation of these crafts to create multi-sensorial experiences for performers and audiences alike.

As art students confront the difficult transition from master-apprentice style education to professional independent future pathways, my research provides a transdisciplinary provocation towards their identity creation. By using the multimodal learning experience of Musical-Gestural works, we move towards the establishment of a curious and proactive foundation for a sustainable artistic career. This presentation champions Artistic Research as a means for possibility creation especially for art students through celebrating the living, performing body, and the development of wonder through embodied practice.

Winnie Huang is a violinist, gestural performance artist, composer and artistic researcher. An active performer of new music, she continually works with young and established composers and regularly performs with international ensembles. Career highlights have included solo performances at the Berlin Philharmonie (DE), KKL Lucerne (CH), and the Elbphilharmonie (DE), among many international ensemble tours. Winnie’s strong interest in the performance of musical-gestural pieces is explored frequently through her own original compositions and collaborating with other composers, developing highly gestural contemporary works.

Winnie is a Schloss Solitude (DE) fellow in the field of “Aural & Physical” and “Artist étoile” for the Lucerne Festival (CH) in 2025.

Academically, Winnie has consistently taught, workshopped, and guest-lectured in Europe, Asia and Australia. She continues artistic research in the field of interdisciplinary musical-gestural performance and collaborative processes. After a few years as Junior Professor of Artistic Research at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, Germany, Winnie now takes on a new position as Associate Professor for Research in Music Performance at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana, Ticino, Switzerland.