During 5 millions of years of human evolution, the world spoke to us in countless diverse voices rich with meaning. Our ever-open auditory channel was vital to survival and on stand-by for fight or flight. Now most of us live within a global mega-machine that hums in meaningless flat-line drones. Much of the time, urban soundscapes tell us little of value.

Have we moved from hunter gatherers learning through listening, to living largely in a learnt unlistening? Do we mostly cope by switching off or tuning out, alienated from our sound worlds? 

In his Lunchtime Talk, independent planning consultant and specialist on noise and soundscape Max Dixon will raise these and other questions and set them in the context of Ways of Hearing http://soundandmusic.org/projects/research. Max will be joined by  John Kieffer, artistic director of Sound and Music and Sue Ball, programme director of Ways of Hearing to lead an informal and open conversation.

This Lunchtime Talk is part of Open Studio Friday, which takes place at the Studio every week

Do you want to find out what is going on at the Pervasive Media Studio? Are you interested in meeting our residents, talking about a specific project or curious about pervasive media? Why not pack a sandwich and join us for one of our Lunchtime Talks and Open Studio Friday.

Lunchtime Talks are informal presentations by Studio residents and associates. They normally take place at 1pm on Friday, are free and open to everybody who’s interested in what we do.

After the Talk, we also invite you to stay with us for the afternoon to continue the conversation or work on your own projects. We provide chairs, tables, wireless and a great space. You bring what you need to work with (laptop/mobile). Our open afternoons close at 5pm, usually with a trip to the bar.

Let us know if you haven’t been to the Studio before and we'll be happy to show you around! Send an email to Shirin@pmstudio.co.uk and we will meet you at 12.30pm for a quick tour.