Escoitar.org
Image: escoitar.org. Plaza María Pita, A Coruña
Escoitar.org is a group of artists and sound activists comprising anthropologists, musicologists, engineers and multimedia artists. Its primary mission is to foster and promote the use of sound and active listening (it is a pioneer in Spain in the Aural Studies movement, a new form of knowledge that studies societies through the sounds they generate and listen to: the sound imaginary).
Among other activities it works with the conservation of the sound memory, raising awareness of the wealth of our immaterial
cultural heritage, fostering the involvement of listeners in the configuration of the sound
heritage and in the fieldwork, recording and contextualisation of the soundscapes of
the country.
It is currently working in various projects, some of which are in Galicia, such as Phonotopias of Galicia. Recording of sounds in danger of extinction and the design of a public and universally accessible sound map of Galicia, while on the wider international stage, escoitar.org is working with projects such as Sonic Weapons focused on “sound technologies of social control”.
Escoitar.org has published two books: Escoitar.org. Audio-HackLAB and Cartografías de la escucha. Sonido y Lugar. It has organised workshops and seminars all over Spain as well as at leading festivals around the world. Jesús Otero Seoane, Carlos Suárez Sánchez and Juanjo Palacios are some of the group’s most active members.
