Languages of Listening: a mediated ficto-critical thesis
Reading Notes

Reading Time: 3 min

The Languages of Listening research project is delivered as a multimodal thesis comprising theoretical analysis and mediated ficto-critical material. This website houses the mediated ficto-critical body of work and is intended to be read in parallel with the traditional theoretical document delivered as an hyperlinked PDF. In the theoretical component I put forward the case for an alternate approach to sound theory concerned with the creative practice of sonic art, one that is better suited to the ontological and epistemological specificities of the sonaural realm. In the Languages of Listening website, I enact this alternate approach, offering eight modules that explore a mediated ficto-critical methodology applied to topics and concepts that roughly parallel the theory chapters.

Ficto-criticism is an approach to writing in which creative and critical modes are intertwined, with a particular emphasis on the role of reflexive subjectivity in the critical process. These experiments in ficto-criticism are delivered online not simply to make the most of the potentials of rich media incorporation (sound and video examples), but to explore methods of navigation and information organisation drawn from hypertextuality and non-linear association. I propose that these reading engagement modes are particularly compatible with the ficto-critical strategies I am utlising.

The theoretical component and the ficto-critical modules are aligned. For example, it is proposed that you read chapter 1 of the theoretical document and module (i) of the ficto-critical component back-to-back, however the order in which you do this is up to you. Then again, while there are correspondences between chapters and modules, the ficto-critical pieces are standalone and may also be experienced in any order. To assist with examination I have included a suggested navigational trajectory shown in the diagram at the bottom of the page. From his you can you can link to both online modules and a copy of the theory analysis housed online.

There are a number of devices used to address some of the issues that arise with online formats, particularly in the context of theory and academia. Word counts and reading/listening times are included on the portal for each module so that the reader may be aware of the scale and time commitment of the experience. Prefaces—which are also essentially abstracts—notes and references are included in each module. Notes and references are also included for each lexia/text for ease of access. In modules that offer longer form writing, each section also includes reading times, and if in essay form, paragraph numbers are included at the end of each paragraph to assist with note taking. (These are faint but become highlighted when rolled over.) Notes are included as animated boxes or thought bubbles that appear when footnote number number is rolled over, so that the reader does not have to move from the relevant part of the page. These are also repeated below should the reader want to check them again or access active links. I also deliberately do not include many external links within the body of the text, adding them in the references below. (Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.) These devices and strategies are used to assist with focus and flow, removing the temptation for restless reading. At the bottom of each module you will find a link back to the main Languages of Listening contents portal.

Each module explores different approaches, structures and designs. This reflects that these are experiments in the relations between form and content. Some may be more successful than others, and each is reflected on and evaluated in chapter 6, “Exegetical Congeries” in the theory document. Whichever path you take through both the theoretical and ficto-critical material, I hope you may experience the different ways in which sonic art-focused sound theory may be significantly enriched by this mediated ficto-critical approach.

Except for module (ii) In_Listening_In, which is specifically designed for the YouTube app on a phone or tablet, the website is designed for reading on a computer screen or tablet in landscape orientation using the latest version of Firefox.

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Theory AnalysisChapters Mediated Ficto-Critical Modules Chapter 1. Seeking Words for the Heard:Definitions, Frameworks, Contexts Chapter 2. Sonaurality: Ontologies of Sound and Listening Chapter 3. To Prick Up the Philosophical Ear Chapter 4. Ficto-criticism as Performative Research Chapter 6. Exegetical Congeries Module (i)Listening to My Listening Module (ii)In_Listening_In Module (iii)Surface Friction Module (vi) In the Wolf Thickets Module (v) Memexical Machine Reading Module (iv) Listening Lingua Module (vii) Tonotopia Module (viii) Bedtime Stories Chapter 5. Mediations: Digital Literature and Audiography This is the suggested reading order for the purposes of assessment, however the online modules are complete units that can be read in any order. Chapter 7. Conclusions: Looking Backwards, Listening Forwards Bridge (i) Bridge (ii) Bridge (iii) Bridge (iv) Bridge (v) Bridge (vi) Bridge (vii) Bridge (viii)