Sound is movement experienced through touch. Waves of vibrating air reach the ear and set off a series of physical chain reactions that eventually permeate the brain, allowing us to hear. Through listening, our senses are activated, creating a presence allowing us to discover new connections.
Philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy describes listening as an activity in which the human being is flowed through by the world and becoming anew. The composer Pauline Oliveros says that to listen is to pay attention to what is being received both acoustically and psychologically, that through listening, you are in constant interaction with remembered experiences. Sound can therefore be a trigger for thoughts, memories, emotions and actions.
In my artistic research, I want to explore listening and the use of sound as a method to get inside of a character. I want to activate the subconscious – knowledge stored outside our consciousness – and look for an experiential perspective that can allow different levels of reality into the action on stage.
Inspired by Pauline Oliveros’ methods for Deep Listening, which involve listening in every possible way, to everything it is possible to hear, no matter where you are, those of us who take part in the studies will build up an awareness for what exists, what has been and what can be. We will look at what happens when sounds from various times, places and situations become important for the character’s perception of reality, and how this approach can offer substance to the term sensory - or emotional realism.
The basis for this is factual, building on methods and an artistic language developed through nearly three decades of collaboration between Camilla Martens and myself with the performing arts company Goksøyr & Martens.
Toril Goksøyr is educated at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo, and leads the performing arts company Goksøyr & Martens together with Camilla Martens.
The company has presented its productions at The Norwegian Theatre, The National Theatre, Kunstnernes hus, The Fjaler Theatre Festival, The National Gallery, The Bergen International Festival, Nordic dramatrain in Copenhagen and Torshavn, The Avignon Theatre Festival, Schaubühne in Berlin, Johannesburg Art Gallery, Tempolimit in Hamburg, Art saloon Belgrade, Etagi in St. Petersburg, The Liverpool Biennial and The Venice Biennial. The productions SALONG, OMSORG, FRI and 11 ÅR were all nominated for The Hedda Award, DATTERA and MomA were nominated for The National Ibsen Award.