Conversations for Listening
Introduction
Conversations for Listening is a long-durational poetic research project investigating different aspects listening through open-ended ‘philosophical’ conversations.
Part of the project has its starting point within our common experience of listening manifesting itself in our ‘good’ conversations. The kind of conversations, where the theme, expected outcome, intentions or whatever that initiated the conversation in the first place is loosened up, given up, and the conversation as a subject of its own takes charge, takes up space and time within the conversation – becomes a third party. You don’t direct it, the conversation directed by other means, and all involved follows suit. All just listen in, and offer time and space, while also contributing with paths to follow, explore or escape from.
Note on strategy
(strategy rather than method)
In some ways there is a non-strategy, as strategy. The questions and theme are not planned or prepared in depth. It is an open-ended conversation, sensitive to what might appear or grow from the meeting and the encounters that a conversation always already is part of. Striving to be a philosophical and listening-practicing conversation where we test our assumptions surrounding listening as a phenomena, and dreams about what potentials listening might offer our living.
We attempts to get lost in the same manner, as the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote: “a philosophical problem has the form: ‘I don’t know my way about.’” (Philosophical Investigations, 1953, page 123).
The conversations will be presented fragmentized poetically, as an attempt to physically open up the spaces and paths of the conversations. To allow for imagination and a loss of orientation. The fragmentation does not necessarily reflect the most central arguments, descriptions, etc. You may wonder upon how the fragmentation took place; what choices where made? You may wonder, without ever knowing.
For, not on
Bureau for Listening, is for, not of.
So are these conversation for, not on, listening as a phenomena. There is no authority within these conversations. Just a search and an attempt on create space, meetings and understandings for listening. We seek to wonder upon listening, while listening.
Conversation archive
Meeting and Listening – Randi Lindholm Hansen
Conversation I
Manuscript writer Randi Lindholm Hansen and I didn’t know that listening would be the subject of the conversation. That just happened. We just wanted a short conversation, but that seemed a mistake due to the feeling about listening as a practice that would grow over time. So we agreed to do a follow-up conversation.
This conversation can be considered the beginning for the Bureau for Listening. A first meeting.
Attentionality with Closed Eyes – Tine Bernstorff Aagaard
Conversation II
The conversation with architect and artist Tine Bernstorff Aagaard took place outside a sunny summer day in a public park June 2021, Copenhagen. The conversation was initiated in relation to the TRAVERS program.
For most of the conversation we sat in the grass with our eyes closed.
Listening with Alexandra Tryanova (to be finalized)
Conversation III
During this conversation Alexandra reflected upon listening in regard to her work as a curator. She also spoke about the concept of listening as a weapon in relation to her experiences with the war in Ukraine.
Expanded Listening – Nana Francisca Schottländer
Conversation IV
This conversation with the performance artist Nana Francisca Schottländer did not really have a time frame. We were laying down on the floor of her studio and slowly exploring experiences and perspectives of and for listening. Carefully we attempted to move away from the binaries of listening to towards an expanded listening understanding and practice.
Group conversation between different members of Sisters Hope and Bureau for Listening
Conversation V
The conversation with percussionist and composer Ying-Hsueh Chen took place in an early and very warm spring sun. We were part conversing and part listening to the loud sounds from surrounding construction sites.
Notes on breathing, perhaps (Working title) – Miriam Jakob
Conversation (unnumbered)
Informed by participating in The Listening Academy, Berlin, by The Listening Biennial, this conversation with performance artist and artistic researcher Miriam Jakob explores breathing…
Queering the Radio Voice – Kristoffer Raasted
Conversation (unnumbered)
By taking a starting point in artistic researcher Kristoffer Raasted‘s ph.d. project the conversation dwells on the many aspects of connecting queering, listening, researching, and performing.
Many other conversations are awaiting transcription and fragmentation (which takes a lot of time…)
Looking forward to present among others conversations with:
Asger Kudahl, Thiago Granato, Marie Koldkjær Højlund, Nicole Michalla, Lisa Densem, Hoda Siahtiri, Morten Søndergaard, Jesper Norda, Carolyn Strauss, Sophia Sagaradze, and more.
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Other notes for the project:
This series of conversations were not originally planned as a series of conversations for listening. It is just involved in it from different individual conversations.
Over time these conversations has and will be part of different practice-based research projects.
A curated selection of conversation will be published summer 2024.
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Fragmentized conversations for listening as poetical empirical data:
(questions that has informed this project’s research perspectives)
How can these conversation be relevant as empirical data for a research project investigation listening as a critical and artistic practice?
What potential and limitations is inherent within the conversational exploration?
In what way does the fragmentation and ‘leaving out’ context create space for the reader’s imagination and wondering? In what way can this fragmentation be understood as a listening practice?
Can we ever know the true context and truly have access to the full content of any conversation?
How is not-knowing and not-being-able-to-know a possible poetic for listening?
How can we consider this forced and artificial state of ‘ignorance’ created through this attempted ‘fragmentation’ a chance to listen?