On Listening
On Listening
Publication
October 2013
Edited by Angus Carlyle and Cathy Lane.
Published by and available to buy from Uniformbooks
On Listening is 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.
From the Introduction: “Listening has become an increasingly popular subject of study. It features in conferences, in academic journals, in doctoral research projects. However, reflexive listening is an applied practice that exceeds the boundaries of academic institutions to take its place in a number of everyday settings. This book aims to connect the scholarly and the experiential and extend the contemporary discourse on listening.”
Contributions by: Niall Atkinson, Kenneth Avery, Jean de Dieu Basabose, Moushumi Bhowmik & Sukanta Majumdar, Seth Ayyaz Bhunnoo, Ansuman Biswas, Barry Blesser & Linda Salter, Ross Brown, Daniela Cascella, Jessica Linda Salter, Ross Brown, Jessica Cawley, Michael Chanan, Rupert Cox, Peter Cusack, John Eacott, Michael Gallagher, David Hendy, Penny McCall Howard, Jérôme Joy, Volkmar Klien, Meri Kytö, Brandon LaBelle, Lisbeth A. Lipari, Francisco López, Sarha Moore, Polly Nash, Gianni Pavan, David Rothenberg, Steve Rowell, Dawn Scarfe, Diana Corley Schnapp, Daniel Smith, Peter Szendy, Jean-Paul Thibaud, Davide Tidoni, David Toop, Nicola Triscott, Ultra-red, Salomé Voegelin, Andrew Whitehouse and Mark Peter Wright.
A book launch for On Listening was held at London College of Communication in 2013.
Reviews
"Following on from the sell-out success of In the Field: the art of field recording, CRiSAP Directors Angus Carlyle and Cathy Lane have brought to the publishing table another fine anthology. ‘On Listening’ is a compilation of forty essays penned by a fascinating array of individuals that engage with sound in various ways." - Caught By The River, by Cheryl Tipp, curator of wildlife sound recordings at the British Library
"This collection of curated essays leads the reader (listener?) to realize that listening can reveal a parallel reality. This reality of listening can lead to immersion, and over time to meditative introspection. The listener is located at the center of this process, offering an immediate connection to place and its inhabitants, sacred, and profane.” John F. Barber, Leonardo
"The wide variety of reflections on listening and the audio arts collected here ensures that On Listening will be useful to people involved in sound art in all of its aspects. This isn’t a book to be read in one sitting. Rather it’s the kind of book to be picked up and savored over multiple occasions, whether in relation to specific topics of interest or simply for a serendipitous encounter with a provocative idea." - Avant Music News
Other Reviews
Details:
ISBN 978 1 910010 01 3
200pp, 234 x 142
sewn paperback with flaps
October 2013