Hearing Voices
The phrase “hearing voices” has been associated with a state of mind where an individual hears words imperceptible to others. Authors over history have frequently discussed the phenomenon of hearing the “softly spoken” or the “whispering voices” of their characters engaging with them through a mental inner dialogue.
We like to think about “hearing voices” as a metaphor for a “listening” that generates real recognition, empathy, and understanding. Such voices that have been silenced or under-represented in today’s public square, or contemporary cultural debate, should perhaps be given a new public hearing, counter-balancing the current “normalization” of violent discourse in our social and political life.
We are interested in the political agency of this hidden “voice” and its unique ability to engage with others while underscoring the differences that help us better understand the communal. Through a series of exhibitions, public programs, and events, we would like to consider how subjects and bodies, individuals and collectives creatively negotiate systems of domination through speaking and listening, looking for a new acoustic and linguistic resistance.