Dan Johnson: A Summer of Deep Listening

Join us for a series of playful sound and listening workshops by Dan Johnson, inspired by the work of Pauline Oliveros.

Open to all ages and abilities. Families and children are very welcome, but all under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.

If you have any particular access needs, please contact [email protected] and we’ll try our best to meet them.

“The more I listen the more I learn to listen. Deep Listening explores the relationships among any and all sounds whether natural or technological, intended or unintended, real, remembered or imaginary.” – Pauline Oliveros

Read Decoding… Dan Johnson's 10-step guide to deep listening in Crack Magazine

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About the artist

Dan Johnson has been a certified Deep Listening Facilitator with the Centre for Deep Listening at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York since 2022. His work was recently featured in the 2025 book, ‘A Year of Deep Listening’, and is an active Deep Listening facilitator across the UK.

A former artist in residence at Chapter, Dan also holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning from the University of Sussex and has been involved with research and development programmes at Stanford University (2020) and the Marina Abramovic Institute (2023).

As a musician, Dan leads the inclusive percussion/performance art project, ‘Ecstatic Drum Beats’, as well as being an active solo performer and drum teacher. His past and present collaborators include: Maggie Nicols, Moor Mother, Dali de Saint Paul, Valentina Magaletti, Ximena Alarcón, Kit Wilmans Fegradoe, Anushiye Yarnell, Zoh Amba, Pat Thomas, Felinto, MARCY, and Ossia.

“Deep Listening was known to some participants in the workshop and completely new to others. Dan began the workshop by explaining very clearly the concepts underpinning the exercises, and continued leading the session with easy-to-follow instructions for exercises. No-one felt left behind or under-stimulated. The workshop was varied and suitable for all levels of experience, while instructions were open to personal interpretation – no mean feat. Using movement, dreams, and the workshop space, participants were guided in an exploration of the connectivity of sounds and situations. For me, the time spent actively listening to a cavernous space, finding the beauty in distant traffic sounds, as well as the continual hums, clicks and creaks of my own body in a group listening experience will be a memory to be treasured.” – Participant feedback