Elisabet Vian Mjanger

Finding the Sound of Lament – A Journey Through Songwriting, Voice, and Artistic Research

University of Agder, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Popular Music

 


Presentations

 

Artistic Research Spring Forum 2025

1st presentation

At the Artistic Research Forum, I will present my artistic research project, in which I explore how lament can inform and challenge the expression of songwriting. I am in the process of expanding my vocal and compositional expression, seeking to find a sound that can hold the unspeakable without being constrained by established aesthetic ideals.

 

I will share insights and challenges from my work so far, which combines improvisation, vocal experimentation, and historical explorations of lament traditions. I will also reflect on my history and background and present how I plan to explore the tensions between my starting point in a Nordic popular music context and lamentation traditions beyond the Nordic region.

 

During the presentation, I will showcase sound examples, reflect on songwriting as an affective process, and highlight how this project can potentially contribute to the development of songwriting as an artistic practice and a research field.