Over the past few months, I have been trying to spend time every day at home or in Victoria park meditating, or deeply listening to my surroundings in attempt to reconnect with my natural environment, which has stemmed from my work in the Specialising and Exhibiting unit. Overall, since beginning this practice, I feel an improved sense of awareness of my surroundings and a greater appreciation for the small quiet moments in life. As someone who is always looking for new sounds and sources of inspiration, I usually have music playing wherever I go, but I have found through my meditations a lessened need for constant aural stimulation. A celebration of the dynamic range in life, something I feel many cultures have lost.
I have found, with my new ways of listening, that I have become more receptive to the underlying inspiration that exists everywhere in the world. I feel the importance of polar forces; we cannot truly appreciate the light without darkness, warmth without the cold, a scream without the whisper, life without death.
“Ways of listening are often prescriptive and offer strategies ad techniques. They give us of entry to new zones of understanding, to new ways of hearing that may otherwise be far away lands; they offer means to experience the other.” ~The Listening Artist -Daniel Scott-Cumming
“Recognising the dynamic interplay of polar forces to enhance the richness of the work.” ~The Way Of Effortless Books – Joshua David Hester
“If you are too narrow in your awareness of sounds, you are likely to be disconnected from your environment.” ~Deep Listening -Pauline Oliveros
“What if, in our quest for solutions, we not only look to nature for inspiration but also invite nature to co-create and help guide our endeavours?” ~Asking Questions Of Nature – Patrick M. Lydon