Listening Beyond: Developing Listening Practices

Creative Research in Sound Arts Practice is a research centre dedicated to the exploration of the rich complexities of sound as an artistic practice.Based at London College of Communication, part of University of the Arts London, our main aim is to extend the development of sound arts as a discipline and to encourage the broadening and deepening of the discursive context in which sound is practised.

Creative Research in Sound Arts Practice CRiSAP

A day of workshops focused on developing listening practices.

University of the Arts London

Listening Beyond: Developing Listening PracticesFriday March 7th 202510am – 4.30pm UAL Doctoral School, 272 High Holborn, Second floor, London WC1V 7EY ‘In the conceptual tradition of indeterminacy, it is tempting to create a space for “listening” where all can express themselves […] Today, we need to go beyond the bracket – that is, beyond the simple act of listening – to shape the work itself.’(Pablo Helguera, What Now? The Politics of Listening 2016, ed. Anne Barlow, Black Dog Publishing). This event welcomes you to a day of workshops focused on developing listening practices. Whether you are new to the field or this is the subject of your research, this participatory event encourages you to consider ways of listening in your research methodology and/or practice. Led by a range of artists and researchers who question what sound, or lack of, can teach us about each other and ourselves; from Deep Listening with Blanc Sceol, to co-creating a glossary of listening, followed by an alternative listening party, and concluding with historiography to (re)consider representation of learning-disabled folk. Join us at this intimate, inclusive event and bring your thoughts to the table and pub. No prior/technical experience necessary.

<h3>Programme:</h3> 10:00 REGISTRATION 10:30 DEEP LISTENING Blanc Sceol (Artist Duo)Deep Listening, developed by Pauline Oliveros, explores the difference between the involuntary nature of hearing and the conscious nature of listening. The practice includes bodywork, sonic meditations, and interactive performance, as well as listening to the sounds of daily life, nature, one’s own thoughts, imagination, and dreams. It cultivates a heightened awareness of the sonic environment, both external and internal, and promotes experimentation, improvisation, collaboration, playfulness, and other creative skills vital to personal and community growth. In this workshop, Blanc Sceol will offer an introduction to Deep Listening, offering practices from the Sonic Meditations series - 25 'special procedures' for participatory practice that expands sonic awareness, with the overarching purpose of re-situating musicality within the collective, and with the specific purpose of healing.12:00 COFFEE BREAK 12:15 LISTENING METHODS Hannah Kemp-Welch (Artist / Doctoral Student)With the expansion of sonic methods, there has been an explosion of terminology that relates to sound and listening in recent years. To name but a few: abolitionary listening (Arthur, Kalule, Kanngieser, 2024); atmospheric listening (Duarte Regino, 2024); bodily listening (Bath, Girault, Waterman, 2022); border listening (Cardenas, 2020) and many more. In this workshop, we will explore a newly produced glossary of listening methods and work together to test a few of these out. We’ll discuss - what can we learn from each mode of listening? What are its aims and particularities? 13:00 LUNCH 14:00 LISTENING TO WHOM Marina Castledine (Doctoral Student)You are warmly invited to prepare the room ready for a party. An alternative listening party. Over/after lunch you will have the chance to curate the spaceto make it as welcoming (or uncomfortable) as possibleto provide a sense of belonging (or longing)to support talk (or silence)to invite (or discourage)to promote (inter)actionThe floor is yours. As are the walls and doors.  14:45 TEA BREAK 15:00 Alternative  Archives - Alternative History Tom Furber (Engagement Officer / Doctoral Student) and Nathaniel Lawford (Speaker / Self Advocate )In this workshop, Nathaniel Lawford and Tom Furber introduce the work of the Mabel Cooper Collective - a group of self-advocates, researchers, and heritage professionals who work to preserve the history of learning disabilities. Using an ethos of co-production and connectivity, fostered and championed by the Social History of Learning Disability Network. We will use the idea of alternative historiography to consider what representations, key stories, and histories about learning-disabled people exist outside of traditional scholarly literature. Through practical exercises, we will work together to begin answering the question: How can we listen in a way that supports historian-activists in writing and defining their own history? 16:30 ALL WELCOME TO FEEDBACK IN THE PUBListening Beyond is led by Techne students Marina Castledine, Tom Furber, Samuel Hertz, Hannah Kemp-Welch, Lia Mazzari, Julia Schauerman, and CRiSAP (Creative Research in Sound Arts Practice). It is funded by the TECHNE Consortium (AHRC)

<h3>Bios:</h3> Blanc Sceol (Stephen Shiell and Hannah White) are an artist duo who work in the expanded fields of sound, listening and performance. They instigate participatory gatherings to foster a reciprocal relationship with ecological communities. Through composition, intervention and performance, Blanc Sceol express their experience of place, anchored in what they find in a landscape and re-imagined into new terrains. They create encounters to connect both materially and energetically to their surroundings. Blanc Sceol are certified in the practice of Deep Listening and regularly deliver workshops that share this practice.  Marina Castledine is a lover of hope, hospitality and encouraging foundations for new dreams. An experienced creative producer, designing programmes and facilitating teams, to find new ways of being through art. Previous positions include Head of Learning at Towner and National Manager for Young People at Tate. Currently completing a Techné AHRC funded PhD, exploring synergies between socially engaged practice and intangible cultural heritage, with a focus on silences in narrative especially in the Cypriot context.  Hannah Kemp-Welch is a sound artist with a social practice. She is currently a Techne-funded PhD student with Creative Research in Sound Arts Practice (CRiSAP) working on a project titled 'Listening in Socially-Engaged Art: Artistic Strategies for Equitable Collaboration'. Recent projects include ‘The Right to Record’ (2021) - a creative campaign with disabled activists, which successfully lobbied the Government to change a harmful clause within the benefits system; ‘Meet Me on the Radio’ (2020-21) - a weekly Resonance FM programme co-produced with elders isolated during lockdown; and ‘o-o-radio!’ (2022) - a project at Wysing Arts Centre, constructing homemade radios with d/Deaf young people, to better understand how hearing aids operate. Nathaniel Lawford is a trustee of Brighton and Hove Speak Out, and a member of the Our Voices Matter group, steering committee. He is also the Inclusion and Projects Director at Grace Eyre. He has spoken at international (in Iceland, at the NNDR Conference 2023) and national (at the LDE London and SHLD Milton Keynes conferences 2023) events. Nathaniel has an interest in the self-advocacy movement, stemming from his lived experience. He is an active member of the community, rallying to improve the rights and choices of people with learning disabilities. Tom Furber is an Engagement and Learning Officer at the London Archives. He is working towards a PhD in Inclusive Archive Engagement Practice at Royal Holloway, University of London, in collaboration with The London Archives. He is exploring how archives can work collaboratively to best serve the needs of those traditionally underrepresented in the archive profession and collections. This project centres around a portfolio of experimental practices co-devised and co-designed with community representatives.

<h3>Further information</h3> Accessibility: UAL to provide an inclusive and accessible environment for our students and visitors. If you have any specific access requirements for an event or exhibition, please contact us by email (crisap@arts.ac.uk) in advance of your visit so that we can make any necessary preparations or adjustments. For full access and route guides for our building, please view our <a href="https://www.accessable.co.uk/university-of-the-arts-london-ual/university-services/access-guides/ual-university-services" title="https://www.accessable.co.uk/university-of-the-arts-london-ual/london-college-of-communication-elephant-and-castle" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">AccessAble accessibility guide.</a> Find us: UAL High Holborn is based on a single site within easy reach of various parts of the city, and is well-served by Underground, bus and rail networks. Important filming and photography notice: Please note that filming and photography may be taking place at this event. Both bigger crowds, smaller groups and individuals may be captured on camera. All imagery and footage may at some point be published on the College website, social media channels, and in print.

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Listening Beyond: Developing Listening Practices

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Listening Beyond: Developing Listening Practices

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