Shapes of Listening

Shapes of Listening prompts questions around the act of listening across our water and forest ecologies. What if listening were our primary mode of sensing? How might listening practices influence how we sense, understand, and care for the environment? The word ‘listening’ includes listening to what's actually heard, to what's imagined, and ‘thinking through listening’ in natural ecosystems.

Using unique camera choreographies imbued with an ‘acoustic consciousness’, Leber and Chesworth capture a range of species and people investigating the environment, utilising sensing, tactile methods, and specialist microphones (hydrophones, microbat detectors and contact sensors) to explore different presences and absences in local environments.

This iterative project will evolve across future artist residencies in diverse ecosystems. The first iteration was commissioned though a residency with Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts and filmed on the lands and waters of Wulgurukaba, Bindal and Nywaigi Country surrounding Gurambilbarra/Townsville.

Exhibitions
Shapes of Listening, Dancenorth Australia, Gurambilbarra/Townsville (first iteration 2024), presented by Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts in partnership with Australian Festival of Chamber Music.

The project has been assisted by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

Credits
Filming, editing and sound design: Sonia Leber and David Chesworth
Colour grading: Daniel Stonehouse, Crayon
Featuring: Madaleine Armstrong, Wahtjah Johnson, Rana Elmesseri, Ian Brunskill

With support from
Bat Researchers: Prof. Simon Robson, Central Queensland University; Terry Reardon, Bat Research Consultant
Marine Science Researchers: Dr Cathie Page, Dr Miles Parsons and Dr Rohan Brooker at Australian Institute Of Marine Science
Kate O’Hara, Jordan Galliot, Ricardo Peach, John Crawford, Felicity Organ-Moore, Dancenorth Australia, Declan McMonagle, Rowan Cochran, Bronwyn McBurnie, Heather Robson, James Cook University

Photo credits
Sonia Leber & David Chesworth