The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, with the support of Phonography Austin, will present a selection of student-made field recordings. The listening exhibit is part of TSBVI’s West Austin Studio Tour showcase and coincides with the online release of a compilation of the students’ recordings, co-curated and co-produced by Phonography Austin and TSBVI staff.

More than a dozen TSBVI students contributed to the compilation, which collects together a diversity of audio elements and events that represent the students’ everyday lives. The project not only conveys the day-to-day sonic culture in which the students are immersed but also demonstrates self-determination, revealing part of their decision-making process for participation in and engagement with their surroundings through their choices of sounds. From recordings of Preston P.’s tactile exploration of the vibrations of an accordion and foot massager to the scratching of Lukas M.’s cane during music lessons, this project seeks to expand notions of who listens and how to listen.