World Listening Day 2022
July 18 was chosen as the date for World Listening Day because it is the birthday of the Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer. Schafer is one of the founders of the Acoustic Ecology movement. The World Soundscape Project, which he directed, and his book, Soundscape: The Tuning of the World, have inspired and helped to define the acoustic ecology movement
The purposes of World Listening Day are:
• to celebrate the practice of listening as it relates to the world around us, environmental awareness, and acoustic ecology
• to raise awareness about issues related to the World Soundscape Project, World Listening Project, World Forum for Acoustic Ecology, and individual and group efforts to creatively explore phonography
• to design and implement educational initiatives which explore these concepts and practices
The theme for World Listening Day 2022, “Listening Across Boundaries”, invites us to explore the role of listening across branches of knowledge including scientific, medical, and musical; how natural soundscapes do not recognize human-drawn boundaries of protected areas or countries; listening across cultures; the remarkableness and challenges of listening virtually; and seeming limitations or barriers to listening that can be overcome.
Visit the World Listening Project website for more information.
To participate in World Listening Day's Live Stream, go to WLD22.