The overall composition of the thesis can be descripted in three major parts:
1) To grow a foundation for developing the mentioned design, preliminary research and exploratory practise have been conducted; Firstly, by putting together a synthesis on attentive listening, springing from existing research literature. Secondly by open explorative listening practice to experience and grow the understanding of ‘attentive listening’ even further. This leads to the second crucial section of the thesis where:
2) the analysis of the explorative listening practice indicates how the technologically mediated listening involved in the development of the design plays a key role in the sensory experience of attentive listening. By introducing the theoretical and philosophical concept of technological mediation, the thesis brings about the third part where:
3) the thesis design for attentive listening is empirically tested out with participa- tion of 10 primary school pupils aged 13-15 years. Here a transversal analysis of their experience with and participation in the design is conducted on the basis of empirical ‘traces of proces’ such as sound recordings, nonstop writings, survey answers and drawings. By relating the empirical analysis of the pupils partaking in the design to my own explorative practice and experiences and the included research literature, the thesis studies what experiential and transformative potentials a design for attentive listening centred around technological mediation seemingly hold.
The conclusion of the thesis is that the empirical testing of the design enforces the listener’s (participant’s) possibility to experience the world around him or her in a sensorially new way. Simultaneously the thesis argues that the mode of attentive listening in the centre of the design – a technologically mediated attentive listening – empowers a more corporal listening experience, which contributes even further to the participant’s understanding of their own listening capabilities. A deeper un- derstanding that also revolves around the participant’s enactment of a ‘listening self ’ through the experience with the design.
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