Sacred Technologies: Numinous and Grotesque Symbolism of Electronic Music Devices in Instrumental Theater by Charles Quevillon

This artistic research thesis investigates how performance with electronic music devices, such as the loudspeaker, electric guitar, and amplifier connects to domains of the sacred. It combines theory from anthropology, religious studies, musicology, and history of technology with my artistic practice as a composer. Inspired by Mauricio Kagel’s instrumental theater, I introduce the concept of Symbolic Sound-Producing Gestures, drawing on Jungian symbolism and Artaud’s Animated Hieroglyphs, to explore sacred symbolism in instruments, sounds, and expanded instrumental techniques used in my works. Drawing on Durkheim’s sacred/profane dichotomy, Erik Davis’s Techgnosis, and the concept of Sacred Consumption, I examine the paradoxical entanglement of sacred and profane in contemporary culture. Three of my artistic works exemplify how representations of electronic music devices can articulate this entanglement; a process that ultimately led to the concept of Grotesque Numinosity as my personal aesthetic lens. Because of their history and cultural manifestations, these devices are rich in sacred associations. Moreover, by Channeling Energy, they can evoke the emotional intensity of the Numinous: awe, dread, and mystery.

Sacred Technologies

Numinous and Grotesque Symbolism of Electronic Music Devices in Instrumental Theater

This exposition supplements the doctoral thesis by compiling the video examples referenced therein. In addition, each artwork is presented on its own page, featuring archival recordings and supplementary documentation not included in the written thesis.

Download the full thesis here. [LINK NOT YET AVAILABLE]

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Charles Quevillon - Sacred Technologies: Numinous and Grotesque Symbolism of Electronic Music Devices in Instrumental Theater - 2025