listening desk
emily peasgood
LOCATION: Unit 2, St Lawrence Industrial Estate ,
Manston Road Newington, Ramsgate
CT11 0QZ
DATES: Opening Event: thursday 11th September, 6.30pm doors, 7:00pm sound
Open: September 12TH-14th, from 12:00PM UNTIL 4:00pm
Listening Desk is an interactive sound sculpture commissioned by the British Library in 2023. Designed to unlock previously inaccessible sound archives across the UK, it allows visitors to layer and mix sounds through an interactive screen, creating unique soundscapes.
A protruding horn directs a parametric beam of sound only audible when the listener is directly beneath it, minimising sound bleed and removing the need for headphones—ideal for quiet spaces and reading rooms.
Inspired by historic listening devices, Peasgood describes it as “the evolution of an archive reading desk into a listening device that explores history through sound and what it tells us about the world.” The work forms part of the British Library’s Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project, which digitised thousands of recordings from obsolete formats, making the Listening Desk a lasting legacy device.
Of the ten Listening Desks produced, six are permanently installed at: Archives+ in Manchester Central Library; Norfolk Record Office; The British Library; The National Library of Scotland at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow; Ulster Transport Museum, Cultra; and the University of Leicester. Each hosts a curated collection of local sounds.
Peasgood also maintains a Listening Desk in her Ramsgate studio, open to the public during the sonic trail. This version plays Ramsgate recordings, including material from her Isle of Sound project (Turner Contemporary, 2021). Visitors are invited to experiment, listen to local voices, and create their own Ramsgate soundscape.
Listening Desk makes sound archives accessible to all in a playful and engaging way.
For more information, visit: https://emilypeasgood.com/listening-desk/
Instagram / X: @empeasgood
TikTok / YouTube / Facebook / Maston / BlueSky / LinkedIn @emilypeasgood
EMILY PEASGOOD, ORGANISOR OF:
RAMSGATE NOISE INSTITUTE
Has teamed up with Ramsgate Festival Of Sound for a special evening of experimental performances.
Expect the sonically unexpected!
Please note: Event runs from 6:30pm (doors), 7:00pm (sound) until 10:00pm.
Accessible toilet and bar.
Listening Desk by Emily Peasgood, captured by FRENCH+TYE 2023
Listening Desk by Emily Peasgood, captured by FRENCH+TYE 2023
MAP: Unit 2, St Lawrence Industrial Estate Manston Road Newington, Ramsgate
CT11 0QZ
