Futures of Listening
Futures of Listening has developed an R&D programme based on the principle of 'listening to a multivocal world'. The consortium researches and develops new forms of immersive creation, listening and experience through spatial sound, deepening our understanding of the world and addressing societal challenges such as inclusivity and environmental issues. At the same time, it aims to firmly establish spatial sound as an artistic and technological discipline within the wider IX sector, improve the quality of spatial sound experiences, encourage new forms of listening and knowledge transfer, and strengthen international positioning and accessibility. The activity programme consists of a series of activities delivered through a community-driven approach involving makers and researchers. At its core is a residency programme in which makers - both invited and selected through open calls - collaborate with researchers and developers. Together, they work on developing prototypes for immersive creations and sensory storytelling, exploring immersive listening and weaving together the relationship between inclusivity, humans and non-humans. Four mutually reinforcing research areas are being developed ('message', 'perception', 'technology', and 'place & access'). This is supported by knowledge sharing and open-source tools, interfaces and instruments through symposia, an online platform and a concluding publication. Other activities include international events, workshops, education and mentorship.