Situated Listening

Grounded in a conviction that how we listen matters deeply in the context of ongoing social, political, and ecological crises, Situated Listening: Attending to the Unheard sets forth a collection of methodologies and creative proposals for listening, advancing the framework of situated listening as both a theoretical concept and a methodological practice that investigates relationships between the listening body and the politics of place, space, and culture.

Drawing from an array of scholarship that engages sound studies broadly, this 15-chapter book is written entirely collaboratively and from a multidisciplinary perspective. Each section includes scores for situated listening, which take the form of diagrams, instructions, exercises, images, and meditations. The scores offer alternate modes of sharing the central ideas of the associated chapters, inviting the reader to shift from theory into practice. This book contributes to decolonial, feminist, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist scholarship in the field of sound studies, by centering listening as a relational practice.

This book brings together a roster of accomplished, international contributors, making it essential supplementary reading for advanced undergraduates and researchers in sound studies. It will be of interest to faculty and students in the fields of Sound Studies, Music, Feminist Science and Technology Studies, Urban Design, and Sound Art.

Stephanie Loveless is a media artist whose research centres on practices of listening. She is senior lecturer in Arts, Director of the Center for Deep Listening at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and editor of A Year of Deep Listening: 365 Text Scores for Pauline Oliveros.

Tullis Rennie is a composer, improviser, recordist, and researcher in socially engaged sound practices. His creative work encompasses audio composition, installation, participative community projects, and live/improvised performances presented in over 20 countries. He is senior lecturer in Music at City St George’s, University of London.

Morten Søndergaard is an internationally acclaimed curator and Associate Professor at Aalborg University, Denmark. He is the head curator at Momentum Biennial 2025 and founder of the conference series POM – Politics of the Machines. He has published on sound- and media art and curated exhibitions including ZKM, Eyebeam, and Roskilde.

Freya Zinovieff is a sound artist, researcher, and curator. Freya's research covers the intersections of sound, violence, ethics, and activism. Freya holds a PhD from Simon Fraser University, a First-Class Honours degree from Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University, and an MFA from the University of New South Wales, Sydney.