Voice and Listening Reading Group with Rajni Shah

Rajni Shah is a performance maker, writer, and researcher. Their first monograph – Experiments in Listening – was published in the Performance Philosophy book series in 2021. It effects a shift that provides a key thematic thread of this special issue of the Journal of Sonic Studies, one that interweaves all the contributions in different ways but is rarely stated explicitly: listening-based practices dissolve ossified lines separating “art” from “life,” aesthetic practices from the political. Shah’s written reflections are presented as a collection of vignettes that can be followed as one line or taken as an invitation to pause between each article, resonating in that liminal and medial space. The issue closes with a review of Shah’s book, in the form of a dialogue with co-guest editor Ed McKeon.

For this reflective session, Rajni invites responses to their writings in this special issue. They will host using a ‘no questions’ approach, inviting a wide range of responses, as well as an atmosphere of listening and alongsideness. Everyone is welcome, and Rajni is especially curious to hear from people who have lived experiences of racialisation.