Image credit: Martin Puryear. Ladder for Booker T. Washington, 1996. Fort Worth Modern Museum of Art.
TOPIC: Ladder for Booker T. Washington
About
Project Talk + Listen is a practice to talk openly and listen empathetically.
It's an inspired experiment and invitation to work with two experiences: talking with genuineness and transparency and listening from the other's point of view without judgment, evaluation, approval, or disapproval of the statements.
It's not a discussion. Rather, this practice is an opportunity to become aware of personal propensities (habits and patterns) around expressing and listening.
Guidelines
Aim for 30 minutes total. Each person gets half the time to talk and listen.
Talk transparently. Listen quietly.
Agree to be curious, flexible, open, and courageous.
Do This
Look at the image of Ladder for Booker T. Washinton, 1996 made by Martin Puryear. The ladder is made of wood (maple and ash). The height is 432 inches. The ladder's base is 22-3/4 inches and narrows to 1-1/4 at top x 3 inches. Though the ladder appears to rest on the ground in this photograph, it is suspended 3 feet above the floor and rises up.
Take turns talking and listening as you:
1. Describe what you see. (Describing might seem absurdly simple. But it's very hard to do. I pretend that my partner cannot hear or see what I'm describing.)
"Describing is a process of overall observing, particular noticing, and telling what you see or otherwise sense...To describe is to name it and its characteristics and qualities...People seem to believe that if what they are asked to describe is in front of you and them, then they think there is no need to say what they see because they wrongly assume that we all see the same things in the same way. We do not. We look at things differently, we notice different aspects, and we use different words when we tell about what we see." - Terry Barrett, CRITS (in contract, Bloomsbury Publishing, London)
2. Complete each of these two sentences in paragraphs.
When I see _____, I think _____ …
When I see _____, I feel _____ ...
3. Later, reflect on your experience. If you choose, share your insights with your partner.
Practicing With Others
Interested in how others practice Talk + Listen using Ladder for Booker T. Washington? Visit these links.
Sharing thoughts and feelings.
Reflecting on what we learned about ourselves and others.
Image: Booker T. Washington, Britannica.
