ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the application of sound and sonic engagement, as research method, whereby attention is focused on the process of listening as both an object and outcome of inquiry. Sonic engagement for our emerging, somewhat nascent research collaboration is that which listens for calls from the heart and to requests to listen. The sounds and their echoes all flow towards a point in the sky known as the Southern Cross. The Listening to Country project was delivered inside the Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre in 2018. At the start of the pilot project, during the initial listening activities; external noises and movements triggered agitation and a need for the women to remove themselves from the yarning circle. During the pilot, the Listening to Country team used various creative tools to collectively compose the soundscape; many of these activities evoked personal stories, reflections, and memories of their belonging place.