Reaching out through listening

Co-creating participatory soundwalks for collaborative engagement in research findings

Abstract

This paper examines the distinct qualities and benefits of applying listening and sound-based methods to collaborative and creative engagement in the end stage of a qualitative research cycle. It shares empirical findings from a post-doctoral knowledge exchange project that investigated how participatory soundwalks can be co-created to engage a range of differently impacted people in PhD findings about urban seaside gentrification. Partnering with a community music organisation (Brighton & Hove Music for Connection), co-creation was made possible through the processes of co-design between the researcher and sonic artist (Bela Emerson) and consultation with residents, community groups, and local policy-related professionals. Consulting with people with lived experiences and professional expertise of the gentrifying English seaside generated insight into the significant potential that sonic methodologies, in this case Participatory Listening Research (Prosser, 2022), hold for research engagement. Findings show that the participatory soundwalks inspired learning and enabled meaningful exchange and dialogue through listening with others, creating a forum for “dialogical sensemaking” (Cunliffe & Scarratti, 2017) which is crucial part of “reaching out” beyond academia.