The Symposium explores listening as a process of witnessing with regard to traumatic, invisible or inaudible sounds, voices, (hi)stories. How is trauma acoustically represented? What does it take to make an absent sound or voice heard? What is the ethical and political positionality of listening as witnessing? And what of the unlistenable, when it becomes difficult to listen further? What kind of response and responsibilities does listening-witnessing call for? Can mutualities and networks of care develop through practices of listening in such contexts? Can listening become the point where different struggles meet? What are the intersections of listening-witnessing and art practices? Bringing together scholars, artists, activists and researchers involved in a range of practices and contexts, the Symposium aims to nurture meeting points and collaborative dialogue which can contribute to new perspectives on listening as witnessing.
Participation of the artist/researcher and Assistant Professor at DCCMI, Maria Paschalidou, in the Symposium “Listening as tWitnessing”. Participation with the textual announcement “From/In memory. Acoustic performances of political loss”, presentation of a short excerpt from the video “The world upside down” © Maria Paschalidou 2020 and of the audio work “Side sounds” © Maria Paschalidou 2023.
The Symposium is organized in the context of ERC CoG MUTE (grant agreement no. 101002720) PI Anna Papaeti. Co-organized by Institute of Historical Research (NHRF/EIE) & The Listening Academy (Brandon LaBelle) in collaboration with the Athens School of Fine Arts.
16 to 19 October 2023
@Circuits and Currents, Athens
