Shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, 32 Sounds is a meditation on the power of sound to bend time, cross borders and shape our perception of the world around us. Featuring a series of 32 vignettes, each is about a specific audio recording that hits an emotional, political or conceptual note. These notes reflect a broad range of sonic and cultural experiences for a meditation on the ephemeral nature of sound, its relationship with time and perception, and importantly, the subtle yet radical politics that arise from being present in one’s body. Examples of these notes include John Cage and his famous piece 4’33”, Cicadas and Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening.

The film will be screened in its “live cinema” form, complete with individual headphones for each audience member and featuring live narration by Sam Green.

Commissioned by Stanford Live, Stanford University; The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi; Green Music Center of Sonoma State University; Arizona Arts Live at University of Arizona; and developed through a creative residency at MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and by the James C. Hampton ’76 Fund. Photos: Catalina Kulczar