Crime scenes yield ear-witnesses as much as eye-witnesses. Yet because sound remains largely unseen, it is routinely overlooked. Properly attuned, however, sound can emerge as the most incisive witness across courtrooms, front-page headlines, and human rights inquiries.
From September 23 to 26, 2026, London’s Barbican Centre hosts a comprehensive four-day program titled “Repercussions,” spearheaded by Turner Prize-winning artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan. Spanning exhibitions, performances, film screenings, workshops, and live music, this multi-tiered gathering centers on the concept of “sonic justice”—recasting the Barbican from a conventional arts institution into a site of active listening, investigative ground, and a forum for collective conscience.
“Private Ear”: Who Is Lawrence Abu Hamdan?
Self-described as a “Private Ear,” Abu Hamdan’s designation is no poetic gesture; it is the literal execution of his trade. Through audio-analysis methodologies refined over years, the artist documents human rights violations, political assassinations, and border violence via acoustic footprints. He regularly disseminates his research through global media houses including Al Jazeera, the BBC, The Guardian, and The Washington Post, alongside non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Earshot, which he founded, operates as the world’s first sound-focused human rights agency—where sound transcends aesthetic expression to assume the weight of legal evidence.
Highlights from the Four-Day Program
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Zifzafa – Free Exhibition (September 23–26): Opening the Barbican’s doors to all, this free-admission exhibition brings together video works examining how sound simultaneously sustains and fractures communal life. It offers an immersive viewing experience ranging from noise pollution to the destructive gravity of silence.
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450 XL: A Silent Film (September 23): Grounded in an “ear-witness” inquiry by Earshot into an alleged sonic attack during a silent commemoration in Belgrade in 2025, this new performance presents a singular encounter at the intersection of moving image, text, and sound.
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First Responders + Blow Out: Double Feature (September 24): A double-bill of documentaries transforming audio into an investigative apparatus, treating active listening as an act of resistance and testimony rather than passive audition.
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Audio Evidence Workshop (September 25): Capped at 20 participants, this two-day workshop delivers a hands-on introduction to sound-based methodologies—a rare opportunity to explore how acoustic material functions as an investigative medium when visual evidence reaches its limit.
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Sykes-Picot and Air Pressure (September 25): Presented as a paired performance, these works confront Middle Eastern border violence through audio evidence. The trauma wrought by the arbitrary boundaries of the Sykes-Picot Agreement is articulated not through imagery, but through the memory of sound.
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The Crack and the Boom: Talks and Panel Discussions (September 26): Organized around the premise “What happens when seeing is no longer enough?”, this session convenes researchers, journalists, and activists to examine the role of sound in documenting global crises.
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Final Repercussions (September 26, 19:30): Serving as the program’s culmination, this special evening delivers a visceral sonic and visual experience interrogating the nexus of technology, testimony, and surveillance.
Earshot: In Pursuit of Sonic Justice
What sets “Repercussions” apart from standard art programming is the fully operational investigative infrastructure underpinning it. In under three years, Earshot has supplied acoustic evidence to over 30 major media organizations and bolstered international advocacy campaigns. The acoustic signatures of gunfire, the psychological toll of drone frequency, or the weaponization of silence are not merely thematic motifs here; they are forensic findings submitted to court dockets.
Abu Hamdan poses a question at once disarmingly simple and profoundly resonant: Is violence solely something to be seen, or can it be heard? And if it can be heard, what space ought that sound to command within a court of law, on a front page, or across the collective conscience?
