Resonance, by definition, is qualitative and cooperative representing the reverberating fullness of sound. In physics, resonance describes the moment when two objects vibrate at the same frequency oftentimes creating a harmonious and amplified sound.
Similarly, when we examine human behavior, resonance might also inform our capacity to cultivate harmony internally and collectively begging the question: what more could be possible if we centered an active listening practice and met each other where we’re at seeking first to understand and cooperate across difference.
As we experience collective grief, growing conflict around the world and political leaders who continue to fan its flames, Resonance: Active Listening Portal offers post-politrick sound healing, dance floor liberation and intergenerational self-determined resourcing that asks: “What might be possible when we turn towards ourselves, listen to believe and actually seek to understand each other?”
Commissioned by Watts Sound Room and funded by California Arts Council and Arts Council Long Beach, Resonance: Active Listening Portal is a month-long public sound installation and self-organizing experiment taking place online and in real-time inside the Phoenix Hall in Watts, California. Paying homage to Pauline Oliveros’ practice of Deep Listening, this installation invites guests to slow down and tune in. With a live sound bath designed to ground our energies before opening our minds and hips the sound scape will feature original compositions and live edits as the sonic foundation to occasional bits of wisdom and spoken word performances layered throughout the evening.
Be sure to arrive early, as the portal will open with Rene Fisher offering Afro-indigenous hand drumming and prayer to honor, celebrate and channel our shared spirit family. The sonic journey will continue with original compositions from our featured guest sound artist Grandfather of 2092 Funk Radio Records which will be accented with spoken word from Bay Davis, Stella the Poet and others. Resonance 001 will close with 120 minutes of live sonic collage by resident sound architect Rush Davis as one final invitation into embodied liberation.
The first iteration of this active listening experiment will conclude with Resonance 002 on Saturday, December 14, offering a similar format, expanded intentions and featured sound artist, Algorithm.code weaving original compositions with vocal improvisation that oscillates across the spectrum of resonance and dissonance. Integrating learnings from the opening and subsequent online explorations, the closing night will focus heavily on listening to our bodies and engaging in deep pelvic floor hip gyration as a means to release stress and centuries of trauma unto the dance floor while sending us home exploring the core question of this exhibition “How might active listening support our collective liberation?”
How might this idea of active listening support us in being more compassionate humans? What if remembering how resonance works supported us in going slow and pausing to catch and name when there is a moment of difference, dissonance or disagreement? What if this moment created the space we need to investigate what is actually at the core of our differences so that together we can learn to build bridges (not walls) of understanding and trust between each other that help us to find harmony, effectively organize and amplify the collective voice?? What if…
Offering a public space activation that might spark personal reflection and deeper conversation. Help participants find a more embodied, sound-based way to explore collective liberation. Create a new model for how communities can organize, collaborate, and heal through embodied practices and creative expression.
Aiming to illustrate the powerful connections between public space, sound/resonance, and the dynamics of creative collaboration, we hope you will join us for an examination and celebration of our human capacity. We are imagining that this exhibition might be the healing balm you need during strange and uncertain times, or that this inquiry may open up conversations amongst peers, and we are day dreaming of a world where we provide for each other the tools and resources we need for transformation and self-determination towards collective future building.
MORE ON RESONANCE AS A COMMUNITY HEALING PRACTICE [LINK]
MORE ABOUT WATTS SOUND ROOM
“Watts Sound Room” is a series of live experiential activations captured through high def technologies and coupled with hands-on music education programming that directly explores the influence of Watts-birthed soul, funk, jazz, and blues in emerging dance music, ultimately paying homage to the originators that pioneered—and continue to innovate upon—a sound thats been dominating cultural landscapes for decades.
DJ sets, musical performances and sound healing sessions bring life to the space as contemporary sonic installations are recorded with a live audience to be archived and streamed on a bi-monthly basis. WSR will open hips, liberate a people on the dance floor and build momentum for an ongoing ticketed series that will serve as the foundation and primary revenue driver for a sustainable sound development program catering to systems impacted youth and young adults in Watts, California.