Thesis title:
Hear, hear! Towards a Critical Aurality of the UK House of Commons
This practice research project will employ critical spatial sound practice to broaden our understanding of how the aurality of spaces of oral debate influence the dynamics of political communication. I understand aurality as a holistic model of acoustic communication for a particular community of practice. It encompasses sound-making, rules and customs around sound-making, the materiality of sound and the embodied listener within a single framework. The research will provide a framework which can help us to assess whether the aurality of the House of Commons provides adequate conditions for listening, and to better understand how the sound-making practices of the House of Commons impact on whose voices are heard.
Research Area
Publications
- Whitley, D. (2025) ‘Sound, power and participation: A conversation on the aurality of the House of Commons’, European Journal of Cultural Studies, 0(0). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/13675494251366767
- Jordan, M. and Whitley, D. (2025) ‘Phoenix City 2021: Art, Regeneration, and Counter-Atmospheres in the UK City of Culture’, Mediapolis: A Journal of Cities and Culture, Dossiers, no. 1, vol. 10. Available at: https://www.mediapolisjournal.com/2025/04/phoenix-city-2021/
- Whitley, D. (2020) ‘We move every heart’ – A report of Phoenix City Convergence, Coventry Biennial 2019’, Art & the Public Sphere, 9(1–2), pp. 225–234. Intellect Books. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1386/aps_00044_7
Other Research Interests
- Contemporary art
- Aesthetics
- Politics
- Sound
Memberships
I am a member of the Board of Trustees of Coventry Biennial.
Biography
I am a contemporary artist working with spatial sound and moving image production. My practice synthesises the languages of slow cinema, observational documentary and spatial sound art.
I have presented audiovisual works, site-specific projects and live multichannel sound works in the UK and internationally. My audiovisual works have been exhibited at Aesthetica Film Festival, Coventry Biennial, Cafe OTO, Flatpack Film Festival, Whitechapel Gallery, The Whitworth, Serralves Museum (Porto), Emami Art International Film Festival (Kolkata), Centro de Arte Experimental de UNSAM (Buenos Aires), Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Soundfjord Gallery, CTRL_ALT_DEL festival (Istanbul), and b-side Festival (Portland, UK).
In 2024, I was awarded a ‘Routes In’ studentship at Coventry University to study a Master of Arts by Research in Art and the Public Sphere. My practice research project discussed how critical spatial acousmatic sound practice might be used to better understand the aurality of spaces of oral debate.
Selected Artist Commissions & Residencies
- Filmmaker in Residence at Film & Television Studies, University of Warwick (2022-2023). 12-month residency supporting research and development of a film project, “Vanishing Point”. The bespoke residency featured the formation of an informal discussion group with members of the Borders Race Ethnicities and Migrations network (BREM), and a reading and watching group “On the Road” with academics and PhD students at Film and Television Studies.
- Phoenix City 2021. A film project commissioned by Coventry Biennial for exhibition in HYPER-POSSIBLE during UK City of Culture 2021. The project was designed to observe the unfolding of UK City of Culture in Coventry, critically engaging with the public relations messaging of the DCMS funded scheme and its “city reborn from the ashes” narrative.
- The Creature in Between (2016). A 10-day collaborative interdisciplinary project hosted by Centro Cultural Tewok, a cultural space run by members of the Wichí community in Santa Victoria Este II (Argentina).
- Artist residency at Monte, Buenos Aires (Oct – Dec 2016). Research and production residency working with sound recordings developed during the 10-day collaborative project at Centro Cultural Tewok in Santa Victoria Este II. The residency featured a public talk and sharing of work in progress, “Fonografías”.
