DISCUSSION: Vibrational Warfare

Under occupation, siege and war, cities tremble with weaponised sound and vibration. This event brings together Gascia Ouzounian, Steve Goodman (Kode9) and Mohamed Choucair to reflect on how sonic violence shapes urban life, and how artists and scholars may respond.

Gascia Ouzounian, author of Stereophonica and the forthcoming The Trembling City, traces cities shuddering under occupation, siege and war, from the persistent drone noise of Gaza to the turbulent skies above Beirut. Moving beyond sonic booms and sound cannons, she attends to less audible forms of violence: turbulent air, residual sound and sonic erasure. Drawing on Sonic Warfare and Notes on the Third Ear, Steve Goodman (aka Kode9) maps an emerging auditory regime shaped by atmospheric terrorism and the expanding reach of machine listening.

They are joined by Lebanese sound artist Mohamed Choucair for an audio-visual presentation of his UAI instrument, created by transforming the incessant buzz of Israeli surveillance drones over Beirut. Together, they consider how cities, bodies and machines are enlisted in vibrational warfare. Their presentations will be followed by a short discussion and a Q&A.