In our fourth episode, host Brooke D. Lavelle talks with artist and colleague Dr. Marlo De Lara about her engaging essay, “Embracing Our Kin through Deep Listening Practices: Intersections of Kapwa and Sonic Meditations.” This essay appears in our recent special issue, The Power of the Pluriverse. Read the full essay and access our full digital archives by subscribing to our substack.
What’s the difference between listening and hearing? You can listen to someone’s words, but you can hear their warmth. What does deep listening mean in today’s world and what could it teach us about this shared experience of human survival?
From the essay:
Deep Listening takes us below the surface of our consciousness and helps to change or dissolve limiting boundaries.
When we begin to shed the illusions of separated selves, it becomes more clear that we are present beyond our own mindbody worlds. In other words, body experiences and sensations break the barriers between us. In the 1970s, Pauline Oliveros, whose musical career was centered around improvisations with others, created a series of exercises making sound and intentionally listening with all our senses, leading us to sharing intimately on a spiritual plane. These sonic meditations and text scores were instructions on how to be in Deep Listening Circles (DLSCs) with one another. To be present with our bodies through these exercises provided openings that could be difficult to access in other areas of our busy lives. To connect with others by listening, moving, and dreaming with others, our conscious experience of life is amplified.
Marlo De Lara received a PhD in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds and an MA in Psychosocial Studies at the Centre of Psychoanalytic Studies at Essex. Their practice works within the realms of sound performance, visual distraction, and film.
Learn more about Marlo’s offerings here: https://linktr.ee/marlo.delara
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