Section Activity Duration (min)
Part I (3 hrs) Opening 10
Organiser Introductions 10
Participant Introductions 20
Break & Transition 10
Instructions 10
Sound walk & Listening Exercises 90
Group Discussion 30
Lunch 90
Part II (3.5 hrs) Small Group Theme Explorations 110
Break & Transition 10
Discussion & Closing 60

Proposed schedule for the workshop. Activities taking place outside are marked in green.

The full-day workshop (09:00-17:00) workshop is divided into two halves:

First Half (3 hours, 09:00-12:00)

  • General opening with the introduction of organisers and participants;
  • Short context of the River Lea and the Lee Navigation;
  • Soundwalk along the canal.

Lunch Break (1.5 hours, 12:00-13:30)

Second Half (3.5 hours, 13:30-17:00)

  • Small groups for in-depth engagement with experiences along the canal;
  • Discussion of each group’s creations, outcomes and ways of collectively sharing the work.

First Half (09:00-12:00)

  • Opening (10 minutes) (Indoors)
    • General introduction of workshop’s aims and methodologies
    • Background of the River Lea and the Lee Navigation
  • Organiser introductions (10 minutes) (Indoors)
    • Organisers briefly introduce our positionalities, research interests, and listening approaches.
  • Participant presentations (20 minutes) (Indoors)
    • Participants introductions about themselves, materials, instruments, and/or recording devices brought to the workshop.
  • Break & transition (10 minutes) (Indoors to Outdoors)
    • Short break to prepare for the sound walk;
    • Buffer time for anything before we leave the campus (using the toilet, gathering items);
    • Continue informal conversations sparked by common research interests.
  • Instructions (10 minutes) (Outdoors)
    • Instructions and review Code of Conduct for the workshop.
  • Sound walk (90 minutes) (Outdoors)
    • Listening-recording walk in silence alongside the Lee Navigation;
    • Walk 1km (0.9 miles) from LUL to the London Stadium and Old Ford Lock (appx. 20 minutes each way, leaving room for stopping and different paces);
    • Shifting between silent walks and spoken moments, variety of listening exercises guided by the workshop organisers and participants’ inputs as they emerge.
  • Discussion (30 minutes) (Outdoors)
    • Discuss impressions, recordings, or listening practices that were fostered by the experience;
    • Everyone can speak, but it is not mandatory.

Lunch (12:00-13:30)

Second Half (13:30-17:00)

  • Small group thematic explorations (110 minutes) (Outdoors)
    • Participants gather into small groups of 3-4 people according to themes of interest and overall group size;
    • Create materials, document experiences, or engage otherwise on that reflect what river listening might be;
    • No mandatory format nor specific tool: composition, recording, drawing, writing, etc.;
    • Engagement with materials, speculation with sound and tools
    • Create expressions of collective small group listening to bring back to the final discussion.
    • For those that may not have a clear idea of what to focus on, we will also provide suggested prompts of “water listening”.
  • Break & transition (10 minutes) (Outdoors to Indoors)
    • Short break and transition back into the campus space to conclude.
  • Closing discussion (60 minutes) (Indoors)
    • Connect the materials created by the groups, fostering a reflexive discussion;
    • Each groups shares for 5-7 minutes about what was generated, gathered, recorded, or reflected on;
    • Revisit initial questions introduced during the soundwalk and collaboratively discuss potential future practices to engage with ecologies in sonic practice.