Invite someone to have a Talk + Listen experience.
Choose a topic from the list. (The topics are artworks.)
Look at the image or film.
Do this:
1. Describe what you see or hear.
Though it sounds absurdly simple, describing is hard to do. This quote helps me understand how to describe and why it's challenging and important:
"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)
Poet and writing teacher Marie Howe asks her students to do this every day for weeks :
“Just tell me what you saw this morning in two lines…I saw a water glass on a brown table and the light came through it in three places. No metaphor… We want to say, ‘It was like this; it was like that.’” Howe says no, no, no. No abstractions. And then she ponders why it’s hard. ‘We want to look away. To be with a glass of water, to be with anything—and then [the students] say, ‘Well, there’s nothing important enough.’ And that’s the whole thing. The point.” - Marie Howe, On Being interview, The Power of Words.
Because to describe means that, “You have to resist metaphor and actually endure the thing itself, which hurts us for some reason.” (Howe)
We have to be present. With the topic and with our Talk + Listen partner.
2. Expand each of these two sentences into paragraphs.
When I see or hear _____, I think _____ …
When I see or hear _____, I feel _____ …
3. Later, reflect on your experience and, if you choose, share your insights with your partner, and if you wish, on Facebook.
That's it! You're ready to choose a topic and begin.
To download and print a copy of the directions to have with you when you participate in this practice, click HERE.
Terry Barrett inspired the Talk + Listen activities. A delight of my life is when I get to look at contemporary art with him and in community with others. Terry often invites describing and then a use of the prompts "when I see ____, I think ___," and "when I see ___, I feel ___" to open the door to seeing and insight.
About the artworks - Look for links to learn more about these incredibly creative people and how they use their talent. All artworks posted in Project Talk + Listen are the property of their respective copyright owners. I contacted artists for direct permission and to let them know how much I appreciate and admire their work.