IHUM Faber Lecture – The Sonics of Self Determination

Building on over a decade of audio investigations and sonic research, Abu Hamdan synthesizes a concept of sonic self determination. In this lecture, he will make several propositions as to how sound can be used as a tool to repurpose and reorient struggles for autonomy and justice. This concept will be made audible across multiple scales, juridical borders, and disciplinary boundaries. With each sound that fills this aural journey, be it a wind turbine, a customized kinetic instrument, an F35, a flute, or a voice that rings out from a witness podium, the argument will become enriched and challenged.

Lawrence Abu Hamdan is a researcher, filmmaker, artist, and activist or as he puts it a “Private Ear.” Abu Hamdan has over a decade of experience investigating audio and has a doctorate from the University of London on the role of sound in legal investigations and political discourse. In 2023, he founded Earshot, the world’s first not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study of audio for human rights and environmental advocacy. His work has been presented in the form of forensic reports, lectures, and live performances, films, publications, and exhibitions all over the world.