earful @ project

a day of interactivities around listening

may 1st 2009 project arts centre 11:00-18:00

 

 

free event

 

On May 1st 2009, the Audio Cultures seminar at the Graduate School of Creative Arts and Media present a day of public events and activities around listening as a shared space and practice taking place in Project Arts Centre. These will explore aspects of listening as a social and cultural practice to ask what does it mean to listen at the beginning of the twenty first century ?

 

What is the difference between hearing and listening? Hearing is a physiological function that emphasizes the ear as receptacle, indiscriminate and automatic in its perceptual field. In contradistinction, the ear as an active transducer and amplifier that emphasizes the mental function of listening makes of it attentive, selective and focused. However, such oppositions require further reflection.

 

The day will be structured around a number of timetabled events and workshops that explore related themes through the practice of listening. In addition throughout the day a series of programmed playlists and recordings that explore the sonic and auditory practices using archival sources, radio broadcasts, field recordings, sound art and commercial releases.

As part of the earful day, a site specific work walls have ears will run throughout the programme – using an array of contact microphones strategically placed around the building, listeners will be able to hear the building, its systems and operational functions as part of the mix of soundscapes and the listening activities over the day.

 

[download pdf of schedule here]

 

programme

 

11.00 – 11.40 Sound On: an introduction to day’s events and the walls have ears installation.

 

12.00 – 12.30 iPod Jacking Session – bring your iPod for the full experience. iPod owners carry around an archive of music and media files. This experiment uses these archives as sources for mixing and performance.

 

13.00 – 14.00 Earful Table Quiz – Pit your ears with three others against another table quiz that challenges your listening skills and all things auditory. Refreshments served and audible prizes for the winners. Booking required, €5 a head email tablequiz@soundsdoable.com

 

15.00 – 16.00 break

 

15.00 – 16.00 Sound in Theatre – how is sound designed for theatrical performance ? Philip Stewart, a professional sound designer, will demonstrate the role of the sonic and its technologies in theatre spectatorship and reception.

 

16.00 –17.00 Listening Workshop – Composer Linda Buckley will facilitate a listening and improvisation workshop, exploring new forms of attentiveness to the sonic environment.

This will involve group exercises in singing and listening, incorporating both acoustic and electronic improvisations, feeding the product of collaborative exercises back to live processing in Max/MSP to produce real-time composition.

 

17.00 – 18.00 Sound off: some closing remarks and questions and answers.

 

Please contact Martin McCabe ( martin.mccabe(at)gradcam.ie ) for further details.