See and hear each other: The Museum of Sounds

In short   

It is a short exercise on listening to each other; listening to each other’s meaningful sounds and creating together a multi-voiced choir.

Set-Up  

Half an hour; if you want the subgroups to present their museum of sound to each other you will need more time. 

Participants

Group; couples of two participants and subgroups of 4 participants. 

Process:  

1. To see the other 

• Walk around. Take all the space. Look at the space. Look at each other. 
• Can you find a partner you do not know very well? Take time to look carefully at each other. What is a pleasant distance between you both to do so?  
• Then, one partner turns back, so he/she cannot see the other.  
• The other partner changes something small but visible in his/her appearance  
• Turning back, the partner looks carefully, and notices it. 

2. To hear each other 

• Take another walk together. Find another couple you do not know very well. Walk further as a group of 4. 
• Find a place with enough space for all of you and where you can make sounds without disturbing others too much. Use tape and collaborate on marking your ‘museum or concert space’. 
• On your own, imagine this: we will build a museum of sounds. Which sound, meaningful to you, – where you come from or what you have experienced – should be kept in the museum? Try to make this sound, by voice or material, words, or tones. It must be repeatable. 
• Step into your museum space and let the others in your small group hear your sounds. Provide a short explanation in one sentence. 
• When you have heard all four sounds, start to improvise. Step into the museum space, create a duet and create an improvisation that includes all of you. Who starts? You may repeat, be silent, wait, or make variations. Use your body to amplify your sound 
• Invite another group to come to your museum of sounds and let them listen to your sounds/improvisation. 

Evaluation: 

Possible questions for a short evaluation in a small group or collectively:  

• Have you seen the other? How did it feel to be seen? 
• Could you listen to the sounds of the other? Did you close your eyes to listen deeply?  
• Did you make a connection between the sounds and what the person says about the sound in your imagination? 
• How did you build up your improvisation? Did you create something new together? 
• How did you experience the museum of sounds — by presenting and by listening? 

Variations: 

The dialogue between the two values can be explored further by giving more time and attention to the movement of the statues. You can, for example, ask the “statues” to make one movement at a time, following the other and see if a new collective formation of the “statues” is created without speaking. Then you stop moving.  

 Connection to PIMDI: 

• Elaboration of differences or different perspectives.  
• The imagination of concepts of values through embodiment.  
• Exploring the concept/value of another through being moved or shaped into a statue