ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Yoko Ono's searing vocalisations, or screams, for lack of a more refined terminology, as politically charged instances of abject sonic art. The term 'Abject Art' is typically employed to refer to a tradition of radical performance art that involves the use of bodily fluids and excretions as a means of conveying the often disturbing processes of abjection. As a feminist performer, Yoko Ono's revolutionary impulse to 'shout from the heart will be treated as a move to redefine musical expression through gendered processes of abjection and cultural resistance, her vocal performances constituting an impassioned response to contemporary movements in art and politics. According to a Kristevan perspective, the revolutionary potential of artistic practice lies in its capacity to bring about such a collision within a politicised context. Free Speech Movement (FSM) can be considered a key, transformative historical moment that galvanised many US white middle-class youth to embrace political activism, and power of political speech, or vocalisation.
