ON LISTENING.

Perspectives on Sound, Music, and Noise

with Chatori Shimizu & Didier Sylvain

7.30 - 9.30pm, Saturday 21 November

Entry by donation (Suggested $15)

This evening will explore various philosophical and cultural approaches to listening, and the action of listening as a way of knowing, and therefore being.

Facilitated by composer and sound artist Chatori Shimizu, and sound anthropologist and electronic musician Didier Sylvain, this discussion (with performances) will explore global, linguistic definitions of sound, music and noise; Eastern and Western perspectives of 'noise' integrated with music; biological metaphors in electronic music; the idea of Sound Art and what that encompasses; 'live' and 'dead' music; performance versus demonstration; and the impact of technology on our ideas of 'music'... amongst other things! 

Through this lens, we can understand the action of listening as a personal, social and physical experience of the world which unfolds through a process of participation and reflection. By expanding our understanding of sound, music and noise beyond the limits of culture, the human-centric, and divisions between nature and technology, we can refine the way we listen and interpret the world, thereby advocating a deeper connectedness to each other and our environment.

Chatori Shimizu is a composer, researcher, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist from Osaka, Japan. Ranging from orchestral works to sound installations, his award-winning works have been performed and exhibited throughout the United States, Japan, and Europe. He is an MFA Candidate at Columbia University.  www.chatorishimizu.com

Didier Sylvain entered Columbia University's PhD program in Ethnomusicology in 2013. His research explores the philosophical and political dimensions of "black" engagement with sound technology in the Americas, and, more generally, interdisciplinary work surrounding the intersections of race, sound, and technology. www.didier-michel.com