About aifoon
aifoon is an arts organisation that broadens the act of listening
aifoon explores listening as something to be experienced and lived. Listening and feeling are parts of the same puzzle that go beyond merely hearing. Through installations, sound walks, theater productions, masterclasses and workshops, aifoon explores auditory imagination and the hidden layers of sound. Sound is everywhere, but this fascinating universe that constantly surrounds us is rarely truly listened to.
In a world dominated by the visual, aifoon is committed to fostering a more conscious listening culture through artistic creations, knowledge sharing, and research. aifoon views participation as a lever to give shape and meaning to listening experiences.
Because everyone listens differently. By listening together and sharing our perceptions, we build a richer way of listening. Without listeners, there is no listening art. Field recordings and sound recordings are important methods for reflecting on the past and future, but also for gaining insight into other cultures and ways of listening. How we listen forms a mirror of society and history.
In other words, we work on auditory literacy, so that everyone can engage more purposefully and critically with the sounds around them. Our approach is built on three pillars:
- co-listening: listening together, sharing experiences, and opening perspectives;
- co-creation: experimenting with sound and creating from the act of listening;
- co-designing: artistically shaping our listening environment, so that sound gets a fully-fledged place in our lives.
By making sounds deeply physical, tactile, and spatial, we set listening in motion and open a window in your mind that can never be closed again.
Sound carries memories and colours emotions (often outside the lines). What is your earliest memory of sound? What does environmental sound do to a person? What is allowed to whisper in the ears? Does silence really exist? How can you deal with an auditory environment that you don't care for?
The knowledge that aifoon acquires in practice is shared through our knowledge bank and tools that allow the public to consciously work with listening at home as well.
For whom?
aifoon is for all ages and entry levels. Since 2005, we have been building our expertise with children and young people, but we equally guide artists, professionals, and students in their work process.
Why 'aifoon'?
'ai' is the Japanese word for 'love' and 'harmony', while 'foon' comes from the Ancient Greek word for 'sound'.
Explore how you listen. Navigate the auditory layers of your environment. Reflect on what sound means to you. For aifoon, listening is a critical and co-creative means to achieve artistic, social, and cultural dialogue.
Walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears.
(Pauline Oliveros)
Contact
Dok-Noord 4F/204
9000 Gent
+32 494 544 391
info@aifoon.org
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