The Listening Wall is a wall of curated scores for listening and sound related instruction scores. Within the exhibition space, these scores are also available as print-outs for audiences to take and experience at a time of their choosing. Some scores focus our attention on the experience of listening and the quality of the sound itself; others aim to instigate relationships with very specific aspects of the audible environment. Others prioritise our imagination or instill mischievous behaviour, reminding us that listening does not merely relate, but can also be “… disruptive in its nature” (Westerkamp 2015). To date it has been set up in a range of different contexts.
LISTEN…
Listening has long been in the foreground of sound arts practice. In 1966, sound art pioneer Max Neuhaus stamped the word “LISTEN” onto the hands of participating audiences and took them on a walk around Manhatten, listening to industrial rumblings, buzzings of Puerto Rican street life and lastly, a percussion performance. It marked his transition from percussionist to sound artist (although of course at the time the term was not yet used).
At the same time, we live in divisive times, and walls are units of separations. Say, like a wall of silence for example. Or indeed the Great Walls of China / Mexico. This one is not like that. Because when we listen, we can’t fail to connect.
Now [meta-score]:
Take as many of the scores provided here as you like. Listen with it to this environment. Or make some sound yourself in tune with your chosen score, say, kicking a wall or a stone. When’ you’re done, feel free to add your own listening suggestions on the back and tack it onto the wall. Or take one home with you and do it later.
Publications:
- A blog review can be found here.
- Fanny Chiarello (2024). Basta Now. Women, Trans & Non-binary in Experimental Music. Permanent Draft. Available from
- Elen Flügge (2018). Silent sonorities and unsound acts. Sound Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Vol 4 (2018: 1) pp. 100-107. Available from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20551940.2018.1516280?needAccess=true
Incarnations
> 9. On 13th April 2024, The Listening Wall will have a one day pop-up event at District 350, District 350 Gallery, C. Gral. San Martín 350, Col Americana, Obrera, 44140 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico. Free entry, 6:00 – 7:00 pm. Made possible by Enclave Festival, Mexico.
WITH SCORES BY
BARRY CULLEN | BLANCA REGINA | BNAYA HALPERIN-KADDARI | CATHERINE CLOVER | CATHY LANE | DAN SCOTT | DAVID BLOOR | GRAHAM DUNNING | HARDI KURDA | HELEN FROSI | IAN STONEHOUSE | INGRID PLUM | IRIS GARRELFS | JAMES WILKIE | JEZ RILEY FRENCH | JILLIENE SELLNER | JO THOMAS | JOHN D’ARCY | JUDE COWAN MONTAGUE | KATRINM | LISA BUSBY | LIZ HELMAN | MAGZ HALL | MAIKE ZIMMERMANN | MARIA PAPADOMANOLAKI | PETER CUSACK | SALOME VOEGELIN | SAM AUINGER | SHARON GAL | SHERRY OSTAPOVITCH & ANITA CASTELINO | STEPHANIE LOVELESS | STIJN DEMEULENAERE | TANSY SPINKS | UNA LEE | VIV CORRINGHAM | YAIR LOPEZ
> 8. The Listening Wall decamps to Berlin in November 2021 where it´s on show at the Polymedialer Ponyhof and includes a range of new participants. With a performance of Besenballett by Katrin Emler, Breathing Through Wires by Iris Garrelfs and am improvised performance by Katrin and Iris. Made possible by an A-N grant. Find out more about the event here.
WITH SCORES BY
BARRY CULLEN | BLANCA REGINA | BNAYA HALPERIN-KADDARI | CATHERINE CLOVER | CATHY LANE | DAN SCOTT | DAVID BLOOR | GRAHAM DUNNING | HARDI KURDA | HELEN FROSI | IAN STONEHOUSE | INGRID PLUM | IRIS GARRELFS | JAMES WILKIE | JEZ RILEY FRENCH | JILLIENE SELLNER | JO THOMAS | JOHN D’ARCY | JUDE COWAN MONTAGUE | KATRINM | LISA BUSBY | LIZ HELMAN | MAGZ HALL | MAIKE ZIMMERMANN | MARIA PAPADOMANOLAKI | PETER CUSACK | SALOME VOEGELIN | SAM AUINGER | SHARON GAL | SHERRY OSTAPOVITCH & ANITA CASTELINO | STEPHANIE LOVELESS | STIJN DEMEULENAERE | TANSY SPINKS | UNA LEE | VIV CORRINGHAM |
> 7. The Listening Wall becomes the Virtual Listening Wall for the Royal Musical Association´s 56th Annual Conference, delivered online in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London from 8-10 September 2020
WITH SCORES BY
BARRY CULLEN | BLANCA REGINA | CATHERINE CLOVER | CATHY LANE | DAN SCOTT | DAVID BLOOR | GRAHAM DUNNING | HELEN FROSI | IAN STONEHOUSE | INGRID PLUM | IRIS GARRELFS | JAMES WILKIE | JEZ RILEY FRENCH | JO THOMAS | JOHN D’ARCY | JOHN CAGE | JUDE COWAN MONTAGUE | JOHN KANNENBERG | LISA BUSBY | LIZ HELMAN | MAGZ HALL | MARIA PAPADOMANOLAKI | PAULINE OLIVEROS | SALOME VOEGELIN | SHARON GAL | SHERRY OSTAPOVITCH & ANITA CASTELINO | STEPHANIE LOVELESS | STIJN DEMEULENAERE | TANSY SPINKS | UNA LEE | VIV CORRINGHAM | YOKO ONO
> 6. The Listening Wall is installed at the Musikkens Hus, Musikkens Pl. 1, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark, as part of The 8th International Conference on the Histories of Media Art, Science and Technology – RE:SOUND.
WITH SCORES BY
BARRY CULLEN | BLANCA REGINA | CATHERINE CLOVER | CATHY LANE | DAN SCOTT | DAVID BLOOR | GRAHAM DUNNING | HELEN FROSI | IAN STONEHOUSE | INGRID PLUM | IRIS GARRELFS | JAMES WILKIE | JEZ RILEY FRENCH | JO THOMAS | JOHN D’ARCY | JOHN CAGE | JUDE COWAN MONTAGUE | JOHN KANNENBERG | LISA BUSBY | LIZ HELMAN | MAGZ HALL | MARIA PAPADOMANOLAKI | PAULINE OLIVEROS | SALOME VOEGELIN | SHARON GAL | SHERRY OSTAPOVITCH & ANITA CASTELINO | STEPHANIE LOVELESS | STIJN DEMEULENAERE | TANSY SPINKS | UNA LEE | VIV CORRINGHAM | YOKO ONO
> 5. The Listening Wall can be experienced at QSS Gallery, 31-33 Bedford Street Belfast, as part of Sonorities Festival 2018. Private View: Tuesday 17th April, 6pm.
WITH SCORES BY
BARRY CULLEN | BLANCA REGINA | CATHERINE CLOVER | CATHY LANE | DAN SCOTT | DAVID BLOOR | GRAHAM DUNNING | HELEN FROSI | IAN STONEHOUSE | INGRID PLUM | IRIS GARRELFS | JAMES WILKIE | JEZ RILEY FRENCH | JO THOMAS | JOHN D’ARCY | JOHN CAGE | JUDE COWAN MONTAGUE | JOHN KANNENBERG | LISA BUSBY | LIZ HELMAN | MAGZ HALL | MARIA PAPADOMANOLAKI | PAULINE OLIVEROS | SALOME VOEGELIN | SHARON GAL | SHERRY OSTAPOVITCH & ANITA CASTELINO | STEPHANIE LOVELESS | STIJN DEMEULENAERE | TANSY SPINKS | UNA LEE | VIV CORRINGHAM | YOKO ONO
A 360° photo by John D’Arcy is here.
> 4. The Listening Wall hosted a session of Points Of Listening#37 at London College of Communication, 11 October 2017, 6:30pm
WITH SCORES BY
BLANCA REGINA | CATHERINE CLOVER | CATHY LANE | DAN SCOTT | DAVID BLOOR | GRAHAM DUNNING | HELEN FROSI | IAN STONEHOUSE | INGRID PLUM | IRIS GARRELFS | JAMES WILKIE | JEZ RILEY FRENCH | JOHN KANNENBERG | JO THOMAS | JOHN CAGE | JUDE COWAN MONTAGUE | LISA BUSBY | LIZ HELMAN | MAGZ HALL | MARIA PAPADOMANOLAKI | PAULINE OLIVEROS | SALOME VOEGELIN | SHARON GAL | SHERRY OSTAPOVITCH & ANITA CASTELINO | STEPHANIE LOVELESS | STIJN DEMEULENAERE | TANSY SPINKS | VIV CORRINGHAM | YOKO ONO
> 3. From 4-6 August 2017, the Listening Wall migrated to Supernormal Festival, Braziers Park, Oxfordshire.
WITH SCORES BY
BLANCA REGINA | CATHERINE CLOVER | CATHY LANE | DAN SCOTT | DAVID BLOOR | GRAHAM DUNNING | HELEN FROSI | IAN STONEHOUSE | INGRID PLUM | IRIS GARRELFS | JAMES WILKIE | JEZ RILEY FRENCH | JOHN KANNENBERG | JO THOMAS | JOHN CAGE | JUDE COWAN MONTAGUE | LISA BUSBY | LIZ HELMAN | MAGZ HALL | MARIA PAPADOMANOLAKI | PAULINE OLIVEROS | SALOME VOEGELIN | SHARON GAL | SHERRY OSTAPOVITCH & ANITA CASTELINO | STEPHANIE LOVELESS | STIJN DEMEULENAERE | TANSY SPINKS | VIV CORRINGHAM | YOKO ONO
The project was mentioned here.
> 2. The second iteration took place at the Linear Obsessional Festival, at the ArtsCafe, Manor Park, London SE13 5QZ on 21st May 2017
WITH SCORES BY
BLANCA REGINA | CATHERINE CLOVER | DAVID BLOOR | GRAHAM DUNNING | HELEN FROSI | INGRID PLUM | IRIS GARRELFS | JAMES WILKIE | JEZ RILEY FRENCH | JOHN KANNENBERG | JO THOMAS | JOHN CAGE | JUDE COWAN MONTAGUE | LISA BUSBY | LIZ HELMAN | MARIA PAPADOMANOLAKI | PAULINE OLIVEROS | SALOME VOEGELIN | SHARON GAL | VIV CORRINGHAM | YOKO ONO
> 1. The first iteration took place at the Chinese Open, London, from 29 Jan – 5 Feb 2017.
WITH SCORES BY
BLANCA REGINA | CATHERINE CLOVER | DAVID BLOOR | HELEN FROSI | INGRID PLUM | IRIS GARRELFS | JAMES WILKIE | JEZ RILEY FRENCH | JOHN KANNENBERG | JO THOMAS | JOHN CAGE | JUDE COWAN MONTAGUE | LISA BUSBY | LIZ HELMAN | MARIA PAPADOMANOLAKI | PAULINE OLIVEROS | SALOME VOEGELIN | SHARON GAL | VIV CORRINGHAM | YOKO ONO
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