Lawrence Abu Hamdan (born 1985 in Amman, Jordan, lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon) is a Private Ear, listening to, with and on behalf of people affected by corporate, state, and environmental violence.
"Live Audio Essays" showcases transcripts derived from the performances and films of Lawrence Abu Hamdan, an artist renowned for his profound exploration of sound and listening within political and cultural contexts. Abu Hamdan's meticulously crafted monologues, enriched by extensive research, navigate between intimacy, humor, and entertainment while carrying a potent political undertone in their revelations. Through a blend of personal narratives, anecdotes, references to popular media, and transcripts rooted in historical and contemporary events, the artist guides readers through investigations into auditory experiences of crimes, often overlooked by the visual realm. These live audio essays redirect attention to acoustic memories, voices permeating walls and borders, the cacophony of warfare, cinematic soundscapes, ambient noise, architectural resonances, echoes of past lives, and the cries of hunger.
"Live Audio Essays" compiles seven seminal works originally presented as performances, films, or video installations spanning from 2014 to 2022. The collection features notable pieces such as "Contra Diction (Speech Against Itself)," "Walled Unwalled," "After SFX," "Natq," "A Thousand White Plastic Chairs," "Air Pressure," and the recently completed "The 45th Parallel." All texts have been transcribed and meticulously edited in collaboration with the artist, making them available here in a single volume for the first time.
Language: English
Release date: 2023
Pages: 115
Dimensions: 13 x 19 cm
Author: Lawrence Abu Hamdan
Designer: David Bennewith / Colophon
Publisher: Primary Information
ISBN: 979-8987624951
