Listening as Witnessing - Symposium

The Symposium explores listening as a process of witnessing with regard to traumatic, invisible or inaudible sounds, voices, (hi)stories. How is trauma acoustically represented? What does it take to make an absent sound or voice heard? What is the ethical and political positionality of listening as witnessing? And what of the unlistenable, when it becomes difficult to listen further? What kind of response and responsibilities does listening-witnessing call for? Can mutualities and networks of care develop through practices of listening in such contexts? Can listening become the point where different struggles meet? What are the intersections of listening-witnessing and art practices?

Bringing together scholars, artists, activists and researchers involved in a range of practices and contexts, the Symposium aims to nurture meeting points and collaborative dialogue which can contribute to new perspectives on listening as witnessing.

Organized in the context of ERC CoG MUTE
(grant agreement no. 101002720)

16–19 October 2023
at Circuits and Currents
13, Notara and Tositsa Str.
Athens 106 83

Co-organized by
Institute of Historical Research (NHRF) & 
The Listening Academy
In collaboration with the Athens School of 
Fine Arts

Participating artists and researchers:
Nikos Arvanitis
Rayya Badran
Sofia Dona
Eftychia Georgakopoulou
Brikena Gishto
Fotini Gouseti
Grafoules
Kareem Kabbani
Nelli Kambouri
Pafsanias Karathanasis
Ioannis Kotsonis
Lefteris Krysalis
Leandros Kyriakopoulos
Brandon LaBelle
Stefanos Levidis
Ioanna Lioutsia
Eva Matsigkou
Jenifer (Click) Ngwere
Panos Panopoulos
Dana Papachristou
Anna Papaeti
Maria Paschalidou
Thalia Raftopoulou
Mhamad Safa
Yorgos Samantas
Nefeli Sani
Danae Stefanou

Invited interlocutors:
Pavlos Αntoniadis
Nikos Boubaris
Maria-Thalia Carras
Taxiarhis Diamantopoulos
Petros Flampouris
Ismene Gatou
Takis Geros
Giota Ioannidou
Orestis Karamanlis
Elpida Karaba
Kyriaki Karachaliou
Maria Lalou
Iris Lykourioti
Andreas Lymberatos
Manolis Manousakis
Georgios Mizithras
Ioanna Neophytou
Eliana Otta
Nektarios Pappas
Stamatis Schizakis
Dafni Vitali
Panos Vlaggopoulos
Zafos Xagoraris
Sophia Zafeiriou