CALL FOR TESTIMONIALS

This project begins with a simple observation: since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, music and vocal practices have been constant companions for the communities affected. They have shaped spaces of social life, remembrance, collective struggle, and mutual support. Yet, the personal experience of singing — as lived and felt by the individuals themselves — remains largely invisible and undocumented, despite the existence of extensive archives.

By gathering testimonies from HIV-positive individuals who sing, whether as amateurs or professionals, as well as from those close to them (friends, family members, caregivers) who witnessed how essential singing was in their loved one’s life — and who are sometimes now the only ones left to carry that memory — this research pursues two objectives:

1. To better understand what singing has meant, and still means, in the lives of HIV-positive individuals.

2. To contribute to the creation of a work for voice and electronic music, in collaboration with composer Omer Barash at Columbia University’s Computer Music Centre, honoring and amplifying these stories.

This project is being developed within the Villa Albertine programme, an artistic and research residency in the United States supported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The residency is designed to foster projects whose themes are deeply connected to the United States and whose research can only unfold through on-site, immersive engagement.

As a 2026 laureate, I benefit from an environment that actively supports the development of research and creative work across American cultural and academic landscapes. I will be based in New York from early April to late June 2026 to carry out this project.

My approach unfolds within a rigorous research and creative ecosystem, grounded in partnerships with academic and artistic institutions in both France and the United States. This structure ensures dedicated time for research, listening, and meeting people, while also providing institutional support and a clear ethical framework for all participants who choose to share their stories.

This project is open to several profiles.

1. People living with HIV who singAll forms of singing are welcome, regardless of experience or background:
   • any musical style,
   • amateur and professional singers,
   • solo or group singing (choir, ensemble, band, etc.),
   • no musical or vocal level required,
   • all ages,
   • all backgrounds and identities,
2. People who have witnessed an HIV-positive person singingThis includes anyone who has known someone living with HIV who sang, whether currently or in the past.In some cases, these testimonies may concern someone who is now deceased (friends, family members, caregivers,…). These accounts may describe the role singing played in that person’s life and what it meant to them.
3. Archives and TestimoniesI am also interested in consulting archives, written or recorded testimonies, letters, photographs, videos, or other materials relevant to the themes of this research (singing, HIV, life stories).

See below: Ethics and Confidentiality

💡 If you recognize yourself in one of these profiles, you can contact me using the online form :

→ I want to respond and/or participate (Google form and contact details link click)

→ If this call reminds you of someone else, you are welcome to share this page with them. Please send this page

Participation takes the form of an individual conversation – an interview conducted in a calm, respectful setting.

• Where and When ?

Interviews will take place in person. I will be in New York and the surrounding area from April to June 2026.

You may choose the meeting location. Ideally, this would be a quiet place you enjoy – at home or elsewhere. If that is not possible, I will suggest a suitable alternative.

If an in-person interview is not possible, we can arrange a remote interview via Zoom.

• How long does the interview last?

The duration is flexible. It is helpful to plan for at least one hour. Beyond that, the length of the interview depends entirely on your comfort and preferences – there is no upper limit.

My goal is to be fully available so the conversation unfolds in the best possible conditions.

• Anonymity if needed

Anonymity is possible, either total or partial, depending on what you choose.

These terms are always discussed before the interview and remain adaptable to each participant.

This project is guided by clear ethical principles that apply to all conversations and testimonies collected.

• Freely given, informed consent

Participation is entirely voluntary.

Before the interview, the terms of participation, the possible uses of your words, and your preferred level of anonymity are explained in detail.

• Freedom to withdraw at any time

You may interrupt the interview or withdraw from the project at any time, without needing to give any reason.

• Strictly regulated use of data

All conversations, recordings, and documents shared are used exclusively for this research-creation project.

They will never be used for medical, commercial, or media purposes.

• Respect for confidentiality

Testimonies are collected with great care and respect.

They are never altered, distorted, or used outside the agreed-upon framework.

This ethical structure is designed to guarantee a safe, respectful, and non-intrusive space for participants.

My aim is first and foremost to better understand what singing has meant — and still means — in the lives of people living with HIV. I am interested in what persists across time as well as what differs from one generation to the next.

For those over 60 who lived through the 1980s and 1990s, their stories often unfold against a backdrop of urgency, loss, uncertainty, and death.

Younger people – those under 25 or 30 – frequently have a different relationship to HIV, shaped by medical advances, as well as profound social and cultural changes. Yet, certain elements recur and endure. By comparing these experiences, we can explore both ruptures and continuities, and better understand what singing continues to embody in contexts that have been radically transformed.

This project also aims to contribute to the transmission of memory – intimate, collective, and historical. It is a memory that remains insufficiently documented, particularly in France, my country of origin, where I now live in Paris. To my knowledge, no structured research has yet examined the relationship between HIV and singing in this context.

New York provides an exceptionally rich environment in which to begin this research. The city’s vast artistic, musical, and social diversity nourishes and deepens my approach. Its many LGBTQIA+ choirs reflect the unique vitality of the area and represent one of the first possible spaces for encounters and testimonies – among others.

The stories collected will contribute to a research project and the construction of a shared memory that honors individual voices and their transmission.

Participants will be kept informed of the project’s progress and key stages, as it is in its early phase.

For the time being, this project is primarily intellectual and sensitive in nature. I am fully committed to this initial phase of research, attentive listening, and meeting people. It is from this long, careful groundwork that the next stages of the project will naturally emerge.