Anthology for Listening Vol. I. EXPANDED LISTENING
EXPANDED LISTENING
By NANA FRANCISCA SCHOTTLÄNDER
I will try to write of resonance
as it is a compass by which I navigate the world
a language by which I understand it
resonance shapes my being as an ever-malleable configuration
of reactive sense-and-respond mechanisms
resonance becomes flesh, language, movement, expression and sound
to resonate back into the world and its beings
woven together in vibrant, vibrating webs
humming and shifting with each other’s chords
seamlessly connected
how to enter still deeper into this
connective
resonant
fibre
?
EXPANDED LISTENING
an evolving and expanding everyday (art/activistic) practice on the go
a potential portal into other states (of being in/with the world)
a malleable set of scores for performative listening
put your body
in an unusual position
within the space/place where you are
close your eyes and listen to the world from this position
what does the position of your body within the space
and what you hear from here
tell you about the place?
and of you?
listen for surprises
if people ask what you are doing
invite them to join you
take a walk
listen to the sounds of your steps mixing with the sounds of the world
tell yourself about the sounds along the way
describe them with as many adjectives, nuances and details as possible
and describe their interrelation
write some of it down while you are still on the walk
read it back to yourself (and maybe to others)
the next day
set an alarm for 7 or 10 or 15 or 30 or 99 minutes
close your eyes
what you hear until the alarm goes off is a unique concert
composed and performed just for you by the participants
who have rehearsed for this exact occasion for aeons
when the concert is finished, make sure to show your
appreciation in an appropriate manner
when on the bus
while vacuum cleaning
drilling
running the washing machine
passing a construction site
find the chords or drone within the sound
experiment with letting your voice resonate with it
let your voice merge with the sound and blend in
let it grow big and the resonance fill your entire body
shift the tone ever so slightly
let the ripple of the dissonance massage your ears
your brain
and travel onwards through your system
enjoy
find an object
it can be anything
hold it gently
touch it loving to establish an intimate connection
close your eyes, and receive the resonance of the object in your body
how does it resonate
what does the resonance translate into?
image
sound
movement
something else
does this shift your perception of the object?
ask the object
who/what it is
and receive the answer as it comes
ask the object who/what you are
and receive the answer as it comes
(the mass-produced cup I’m holding says: OOOOOOOOO I am the one
Stuck in this shape, and you are the one who can break it to release me…)
Do what the dialogue asks of you
