We live under constant visual stimulation these days. But for most of us our ears are still our primary sense organ to engage with the world around us: for orientation, to detect possible threats; either create a feeling of safety, comfort and… even belonging. I have always been curious about our emotional responses to sound and our tendency to – regardless of the degree of abstraction – create meaning and eventually a whole (imaginary) narrative around it.
(Non) Humanism & Animism is my new series of sonic researches zooming in on the semiotic power of sound and also acoustics: conceived as a performative installation and an attempt to unfold various sonic perspectives as well as sonic choreographies. In my first ‘episode’ of this series – subtitled Absental Dynamics – all is an exploration into the single perspective of how we humans perceive sound: how we hear and listen. Hence a set up that can accurately represent the human hearing apparatus: every listener receives a set of headphones to listen to binaural sound (3D audio).
Absental Dynamics is the forerunner of a performative installation in which I will integrate a more inclusive view on the act of listening: reflecting on interaction and communication with humans as well as with non humans and other sentient beings (e.g. animals, plants, inanimate objects, spirits).
(Non) Humanism & Animism, will get premiered by But What About at Gaudeamus Muziekweek 2018 in Utrecht (NL).
(photos Herre Vermeer, installationview of (Non) Humanism & Animism)