Listening is often imagined and experienced as a meditative, purposeful and directed sensory practice. As one listens, attention is channeled through the ears toward a familiar range of sonic entities: soundscapes, musical compositions, vocal communication, auditory indexes and private thoughts. But in the intervals between directed attention, as one traverses the outsideness of purposeful perception, listening can also become accidental: sonic accidents send off the ear into unexpected sensory swerves, resulting in near-misses and occasional collisions. In this artist talk, Gabriele de Seta will introduce his work Listening/Accidents, share his ideas for exhibiting it, and discuss the concept of “accidental listening” and its role in doing art with, and about, sound.

Gabriele de Seta is a media anthropologist. He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bergen. His research work, grounded on ethnographic engagement across multiple sites, focuses on digital media practices and vernacular creativity in China. He is also interested in experimental music scenes, internet art, and collaborative intersections between anthropology and art practice.