Why I Wrote Listening to Places

Abstract

The book Listening to Places (Void Gallery, 2022) contains exercises designed to encourage self-reflexive listening. These activities are predicated on platial thinking, a philosophy that asserts the importance of places as responsive contexts that shape, and are shaped by, our being-in-the-world. This belief weaves an ontology of being with an ethos that’s literally grounded in the places we occupy. Despite the philosophical foundations, this is a practical handbook that will aid musicians, composers, sound designers, field recordists, producers,... anyone who wishes to enhance their experience of sound. These exercises are designed to facilitate workshops, soundwalks, and other activities.