Symphony of Awkward

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Symphony of Awkward

The Symphony of Awkward is a research-collective-at-large dedicated to myriad expressions of #diarology through live and audio works.

Founded by researchers Dr Kim Munro, Dr Peta Murray and Dr Stayci Taylor, the project is evolving and ongoing. Current explorations include explorations at the junction of arts-and-health in collaboration with Dr Robyn Moffitt from RMIT’s School of Psychology. We are also making further inroads into the field of audio arts and towards new modes of collaborative practice in the emergent space of Critical Autoethnography (CAE).

Outputs to date include conventional publications and non-traditional research outputs via public facing events, local and international. Bespoke methodological manoeuvres include DiaryBingoKaraoke (DBK) and Live Hypothetical Radio (LHR). We are continually prototyping queer and agile methods that see us repurpose diarological practices in ways that speak to us today by fostering “associative leaps and communal meaning-making.” This has particular resonance for scholars of gender, girlhood and women’s studies, as well as those interested in creative modes of nonfiction, documentary and the human voice. By conducting this inquiry through a variety of performance modalities we uncover collisions and intersections with the essay form, the archive, reportage and memoir.

Whether by revisiting juvenile diaries in their textual and mediated states, via live diary readings or in considering the act of marking time through other cultural phenomena we examine how diaristic impulses give rise to discursive constructions of subjectivity through address. Opportunities for reinterpretation include reimagining the writerly space by approaching archival materials as ‘found footage’ and exploring what arises in the polyphony when we (the participants) interbraid the voices of our pre-formed and still forming selves.

Publications and public engagement relevant to this project include:

Symphony of Awkward with Sammy J for ABC Breakfast
Murray, P, Munro, K & Taylor, S 2020, ‘Note to self: a pandemic is a great time to keep a diary, plus 4 tips for success’ The Conversation

Symphony of Awkward

Symphony of Awkward

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

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aboriginal flag

torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.

More information