
Jason Kahn
Workshop
On Listening
The workshop On Listening investigates the activity of listening in the context of an artistic
practice. Active listening, as in the sense of a listening intervention, is something that each of
us can do without any special training or skills, but which many of us might not have thought
of doing before. Much has been made of the art of field recording, but what if we put away the
microphones and sound recorders and just tried to focus on the essence of a particular place
through concentrated listening?
The workshop runs for around three to four hours, depending on the number of participants.
After a brief introduction from each of the participants and myself about our practice, we
move outside to spend around one hour listening at a particular place. This does not involve
the use of sound recorders, taking notes or using a mobile phone. People are just meant to
sit and listen and reflect on what listening means, what the sounds they are hearing produce
in terms of how they perceive the space around them, both as a physical as well as social
entity.
After the listening session we will spend the final hour of the workshop discussing our
experiences. The workshop is not geared towards producing any answers or finished
products, but to open up a discussion about what it means to listen to our environments as a
creative practice.
The workshop is open to anyone who is interested in listening. There are no technical
requirements or skills required.
Tuesday 7 November, 7PM @ Audio Foundation – Koha entry