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, Mark Peter Wrigh

From the Introduction:
“Listening has become an increasingly popular subject  of study. It features in conferences, in academic journals, in doctoral research  projects. However, refl exive 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.”

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Angus Carlyle is curious about how we engage with our environment through sound and
through our other senses. He primarily uses fi eld recording to investigate small areas of
land and sky and the human relationships that colour them, whether they are in Kyoto’s
Kamikatsura district, London’s Lower Lea Valley or the wood fi ve minutes from his home.
Some of his work is a solitary enterprise and some involves collaboration with others,
such as photographers, anthropologists and scientists. He co-directs Creative Research in
Sound Arts Practice (CRiSAP) at the University of the Arts London.

Cathy Lane is a composer, sound artist, lecturer and researcher. Her work combines
oral history, archival recordings and environmental recordings to investigate histories,
environments, our collective and individual memories and the forces that shape them.
She also collaborates with choreogaphers, fi lm makers, visual artists and other musicians.
She established the department of Sound Arts and Design and now co-directs CRiSAP