NOCTURNAL MILIEUS: A SOUND DESIGN AND SLEEP WORKSHOP

Thursday, March 10 || 2-4pm EST, on Zoom
► Register on Eventbrite (limited space!): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/274565612137

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“As the faithful, in the Dionysian mysteries, invoke the god by miming scenes from his life, I call up the visitation of sleep by imitating the breathing and posture of the sleeper.”
- Merleau-Ponty

For Merleau-Ponty, sleep is a performance in which we, as actors, imitate sleepers until we become one; the bed as our stage, and the room as our theatre. As we close our eyes to rest, we are left with the sounds of the theatre to support – or sabotage – our nightly performance.

In this workshop, we will be exploring the sonic dimension of sleeping spaces using the tools of a sound designer. Through embodied listening practice alongside digital media, we will rediscover, and perhaps redesign, the shapes and textures of these intimate soundscapes - and the way we negotiate our environment while seeking rest.

The workshop will include a guided listening exercise grounded in electroacoustics ear training and Viewpoints, and the opportunity to construct a personalized sound design for sleep, followed by sharing and discussion. It will be held on Zoom; participants are invited to join from and work with their own private space, ideally where they usually sleep or nap.

► Technical requirements: a laptop or phone. Headphones or speakers would be useful, though aren’t necessary.
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This workshop will be led by composer and sound designer Devon Bate, who is currently a Research Assistant with Sociability of Sleep and an MA student at Concordia University. His creative work explores how listening shapes space, community and identity, and his academic research focuses on background noise and ambient audiovisual media on popular streaming platforms.

► Find Devon on Instagram @bufflo.prod and visit his website: www.devonbatemusic.com