Meet Lala Misosniky. A journey into live performance, sound and beyond

Every so often, an artist emerges with a clear vision and a willingness to explore the experimental edges of sound and performance, using their work to navigate personal and universal themes with depth and intention. Meet Lala Misosniky, who’s been active in both the Romanian and international independent artistic movement since 2008, when she graduated in Theatre and Performing Arts at the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest.

Throughout time, she has created or been part of numerous projects shaped in different forms across various artistic fields and disciplines. From theatrical roles, one-to-one explorations, art installations and sound design to jam poetry, conceptual narratives and audio-visual performances, Lala is a versatile artist who deeply immerses herself in her visions with each occasion, bringing forward memorable experiences.

With an extensive and diverse catalogue, pinpointing her standout moments can be challenging. Here are some notable highlights from her career as an actress, performer and one-to-one practitioner, showcasing how she consistently provokes the performative space to extend beyond the stage: “Pool. No Water” (directed by Miruna Dinu & written by Mark Ravenhill, 2009), “We live in the times of once and for all” (CAV, Lorgean Theatre Festival, SAC Barcelona, 2016 & The Independent Art Biennale Havana, 2018), “Classified” (Galeria Posibilă & Simultan Festival Timișoara, 2017) and “Oxigender” (in collaboration with Georgiana Dobre, CAV, 2017).

While artistic exploration feels like a nomadic playground to Lala, diving deep into contemporary territory is definitely her thing, as she creates immersive sonic ambiences for her solo shows or in collaboration with other artists. Among her sound installations we find, “Post-Muzica #47“ (Rezidența BRD Scena9, curated by Mitoş Micleuşanu, 2021), “Samambaia Ruva Ìgbále” (Altelier, 2021 & Malmaison Garden – alongside Alina Ușurelu, 2022), “Creatura” (Live at maGma Showcase Festival, Racoș Natural Park, 2022), “Magno Botany” (Control Club, 2023), “Dream Body Body Building” (choreography by Ursula Eagly, Chocolate Factory Theatre, New York, 2024) and “Timbru de smalț” (SAC Malmaison, 2025).

When it comes to sound design, she loves to play and discover new possibilities while using unconventional techniques, including field recordings of natural or household items, experimental live sound modulation or fuzzy digital drafts. Her works have been integrated into unique events and manifestations like, “Care-i faza cu cartea asta?” (soundtrack for a podcast series about best Romanian books published in 2020, coordinated by Robert Bălan, 2021), “Fragments of the city” (in collaboration with Cosmin Manolescu, ICR New York, 2021), “Luați de Val…s” (choreography by Alexandra Mihaela Dancs & Vlad Benescu, 2022), “ex-Peau-sition” (tactile performance by Mădălina Dan, 2023), “Somatic Freaks” (SAC Malmaison & Galateca, 2024) and “Tura de noapte” (with Alexandra Mihaela Dancs & Vlad Benescu, written by Mihai Ivașcu, TNB, Control Club & Casa Kerim 2024/2025).

Aside from all that, Lala also released independent productions in the form of “Laundry Chute System“ (w. CPU99) and “Sunstroke“ LPs on New Romanian Weird record label, as well as “The Line”, a collaboration with Mihail Tunaru and Andrei Barbu for Soundsphere’s “Beyond the Static“ Various Artists project.

Now, let’s have a chat with her and find out more about her motivations, visions and upcoming shows.

feeder.ro: Hello Lala, it’s a pleasure to connect! Tell us more about what fuels your creative process and how you explore the dialogue between environmental settings and experimental music.

Lala Misosniky: Thank you, it’s lovely to be here. I’d say my process always begins with listening, not just as a passive act but as a form of attention. I think of it as listening with care or with an open heart, attuning to the specific resonances of a site or a concept. Every theme I work with anything site-specific, whether I’m in a wide-open landscape or sitting with a more abstract internal terrain.

I think there’s a relational map in this dialogue between space and sound, it often feels like I’m walking in the dark. I start from a premise or structure and then I let the soundings dance their own steps.

I suppose my creative fuel comes from an intuition that the world is always whispering – everything is humming a rhythm or a song, if you listen carefully, whether it’s machines, landscapes or living beings. The challenge becomes blending those murmurs into something meaningful.

I try to offer the audience a kind of mind input, like a sonic state of presence. I once received a performative task from choreographer Ursula Eagly during “Dream Body Body Building“: to “calm the nervous system of the audience”. That’s stuck with me ever since, in a corner of my mind.

feeder.ro: Your work often weaves together voice, field recordings and twisted layered textures. How do you approach the body as an instrument within your performances?

Lala Misosniky: The body is always my first instrument, though an imperfect one; it listens, records, processes, feels like a resonating space for sound. Standing still or just moving softly, whenever I’m recording, feels like a choreography of necessity.

I’m also drawn to the movement – the percussive vibrations of materials, the textures that arise through touch and gesture. Don Ihde called it the “voice of each thing”, a belief that everything speaks through its own materiality – the body is no exception. I layer voices, field recordings and textures as if I’m trying to compose a moving poem.

feeder.ro: There’s a strong sense of intimate emotions in your sonic palette. How do you blend abstract concepts and non-traditional structures in contrast with contemporary trends?

Lala Misosniky: I think I’m drawn to paradoxes. Intimacy through abstraction, structure through unpredictability, contradictions as textures – letting them resonate rather than resolve.

Once I have a structure, I like to play around with the “arbitrariness of the sign”. Not randomness but observing the subtle clues and then underlining what whispers, rather than what shouts. There’s a lot of editing behind the layers, of course, but I let each sound bring a subjective correlation. That might not follow linear or trend-based patterns.

Sometimes I feel that performance holds a kind of enchantment, like a quiet technology of intention. The space starts to feel like a map – something in between the mundane and a silent realm. And through sharing it, that place becomes reachable for others, too. I blend sounds from different places – it all becomes a new space, a “more than” place.

feeder.ro: What are your plans for 2025 and when can we see you live again?

Lala Misosniky: The next show I’m going to be part of as a sound designer is titled “Game of life“, a performative and participative installation that explores the simplicity and intensity of life. Created by choreographer Cosmin Manolescu alongside Eva Danciu, it invites the audience to become both witness and co-creator in a world of light and shadow, partially shaped by my audio soundscapes, Ioana Buraga and Alina Ușurelu’s visuals, as well as Marius Jurcă’s scenography.

The first live performance will be on June 7th and the second on June 27th at Masca Theatre in Bucharest. This show is produced by Gabriela Tudor Foundation, as part of “What’s Next”, an European platform for artistic research and creation, co-financed by AFCN cultural program.

After this one, who knows what’s going to pop up. I’ve been working on some personal projects and maybe there will be a possibility to integrate them into something interesting and unique for the public to experience, just like before. Time will tell.

Find out more about Lala Misosniky from her website, soundcloud and instagram pages.

Words by Andrei Barbu & Lala Misosniky

Photos by © Orsolya Balint, Anja Hitzenberger, Elena Butică, Alina Ușurelu, Mihai Smeu, Diana Păun, Gabriel Durlan, Iannis Stamatogia