On Listening

by Angus Carlyle (Editor), Cathy Lane (Editor)

A unique collection of forty multi-disciplinary perspectives drawn from anthropology, bioacoustics, geography, literature, community activism, sociology, religion, philosophy, art history, conflict mediation and the sonic arts including music, ethnomusicology and field recording. These specially commissioned contributions explore the many ways in which skilled listening can mediate new relationships with our physical environment and the people and other species that we share it with.

Genres: Art, Music, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Angus Carlyle has an educational background within the humanities, studying law as an undergraduate, earning a masters in political theory, focusing his doctorate on the conditions of vocalised political exchange.

His subsequent theoretical trajectories engaged with cyberculture, photography and architecture then shifted towards its current pre-occupation with the sensory inhabitations of environments and their representations, with a particular emphasis on sound. A significant dimension of this exploration has been conducted through such creative practices as experimental textual production and field recording, with the texts and recordings contributing to collaborative and solitary projects.

For over a decade, he has worked with anthropologist Rupert Cox, co-creating films, installations and compositions – alongside academic texts - that seek to address the sonic experiences of living under civilian and military flight paths in situations where the echoes of history are palpable.

Reviews

[maik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compilation of essays and articles by many different artists, scientists and teachers, among others, that share the practice of listening at their core. A mixture of topics ranging from capturing whales’ songs to Rwanda’s genocide, though an interesting idea, more often than not acted as a double-edged sword as the reading became a tedious task rather than a leisure activity, mostly because of the writing approach each author has, and the topics discussed, some of which were of no interest to me.

[Harri · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a hard read, as it had many different writing styles. But great insight into different listening practices.