Sublime Folly 2026
Victoria Bonte (Bowen, Australia) is a performance and vocal artist, singer songwriter and Clown.
Sublime Folly is a creative collaboration with fellow artist in residence, John Brennand forming a performance duo. Their first preliminary ‘work in progress’ showing at the Body Voice Centre was an absurdist journey of song, story, and clowning, through an abstract existential landscape which requires the constant service of maintenance and cleaning team, Danka and Boris. John and Victoria are continuing their collaboration. Currently they are creating sound and voice scapes, and performances, arising from improvisational investigations. Listen to Sublime Folly’s Wednesday Laments. |
John Brennand (Adelaide, Australia) completed a PhD by creative project at Victoria University in Performance Studies titled Voice Lab: Songs of being as philosophical enquiry. The project culminated with a performance showing at Body Voice Centre in Sept 2017.
He has initiated multiple artistic projects as part of his current artist residency at the Body Voice Centre. Project 1 was a creative collaboration with fellow artist in residence Victoria Bonte, forming performance duo Sublime Folly. Their first preliminary ‘work in progress’ showing at the Body Voice Centre was an absurdist journey of song, story, and clowning, through an abstract existential landscape which requires the constant service of maintenance and cleaning team, Danka and Boris. John and Victoria are continuing further collaborations to create sound and voice scapes, and performances, arising from improvisational investigations. Listen to Sublime Folly’s Wednesday Laments. Project 2 incorporates the collection of edited videos from John’s bike rides around Melbourne collaged with audio ‘scores’ of looped and layered vocal sounds, thus combining his love of cycling with his interest and practice in improvised vocalisation. Project 3 developed voice workshops and events for public participation. |
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Sublime Folly (Vocal Duet Victoria Bonte and John Brennand) ran a weekly
2-hour voice workshop held every Friday throughout February 2026, from 9:00–11:00am. These sessions offered an attentive and explorative approach to voice as embodied practice, creative inquiry, and expression. The first hour focussed on preparation and attunement through chi wash, chakra sounding, and a 10-minute free-form vocal meditation. The second hour drew upon extended voice work as developed by Linda Wise, evolving from the work of Alfred Wolfsohn and Roy Hart. With some piano accompaniment, there was exploration of vocal range, bel-canto voice, and expressive possibility through improvisational play. Each workshop was free and open to those curious about voice as a responsive, embodied, and relational practice. No performance experience was required—only a willingness to listen and explore. These workshops formed part of Sublime Folly’s Artist in Residence month at the Body Voice Centre. Their month-long stay culminated in a performance on Sunday March 1st at 6pm. For all enquiries: [email protected] |