This is an experiment inspired by the Sound of Silence podcast.

It is a silent online gathering to explore the human experience of silence, of communal bearing witness and not knowing in a time where we may be experiencing uncertainty and a lack of meaningful human connection. Other than that who knows what will happen.

There is a light structuring of the experiment as follows. (all timings BST)

14:00 Silent arrival. People arrive into the virtual space.

14:05 Paired silence #1. Attendees will be put into random pairs or threes for two minutes of silence together.

Paired silence #2. Attendees will be put into another random pair or three for two minutes of silence together.

Paired silence #3. Attendees will be put into a final random pair or three for two minutes of silence together.

Group silence. All attendees will spend two minutes of silence together.

14:15 Experiment ends silently

This session will be totally silent with no reflection or sense making at the end. A separate reflection session will take place 2 days after the experiment to allow those who want to to marinate in the experience a little longer before reflecting on it together.

Participation is FREE but you will need to register in order to take part.

SOUND OF SILENCE ONLINE EXPERIMENT
Tuesday 14th April 2020
14:00-14:30 BST
GET TICKETS HERE

SOUND OF SILENCE EXPERIMENT REFLECTION SESSION
Thursday 16th April 2020
14:00-15:00 BST
GET TICKETS HERE

Some important notes to read before taking part

  • You will be automatically sent the Zoom meeting link and password when purchasing your ticket.
  • Everyone attending is requested to be unmuted but silent throughout. (unmuted so we can hear your silence)
  • It is preferable that you have your camera activated so that participants can see each other.
  • All instructions will be communicated by hand written signs. The host will not speak either.
  • Your pairing for the silences will be randomly assigned with somebody else taking part in the experiment. This is a global experiment and, depending on how many take part, you are likely to be paired with somebody you do not know.
  • There is intentionally no time for reflection or sense making of this experience at the end. This is to facilitate a deeper experience of not knowing and allow the experience to unfold and marinate for a little longer.
  • For those who want to reflect and make sense of it together, a separate virtual meeting will take place at 2pm BST on Thursday 16th April.
  • The experimental nature of this short experience means that I have no idea how you will respond in the moment to taking part. Silence can be a very powerful experience so please only take part if you are feeling resourced enough to do so at the time.
  • The experience will work better for you if you are able to install the desktop zoom client. You can download it here: https://zoom.us/
  • If you are unable to download the client you will still be able to take part but may not have the same functionality as others

Any other questions – drop me an e-mail at sc@CanScorpionsSmoke.com

Steve

This is a free experiment but if you would like to make a contribution to support my work then you can do so by becoming a patron here.