AURAL CONTRACT is a project Lawrence Abu Hamdan conceived as a series of events, publications, exhibitions and workshops that examine the contemporary politics of listening through a focus on the role of the voice in law. Throughout the project Abu Hamdan has built up a sound archive, containing audio extracts of his works together with specific moments of juridical listening and speaking gathered from a wide range of sources such as the trials of Saddam Hussein and Judas Priest, UK police evidence tapes, films such as Decoder and readings from texts including Italo Calvino’s ‘A King Listens’. For the event at Beirut the components of this archive are mixed together live, generating a performance/ seminar and collective listening session that intends to immerse its audience in the heart of a discussion about the relationship of listening to politics, borders, human rights, testimony, truth and international law.

In 2012, London-based artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan had two solo shows featuring new commissioned work ‘The Freedom Of Speech Itself ‘ at The Showroom, London and ‘The Whole Truth’ at CASCO, Utrecht. His ongoing project ‘Aural Contract’ has been recently exhibited at Arnolfini, Bristol (2013) and The Taipei Biennial (2012). Other works include ‘Marches’ for Artangel London (2008) and his collaboration as part of the group ‘Model Court’ presented at Gasworks, London (2013). His hybridized practice means that he has written for Cabinet Magazine and the 10th Sharjah Biennial and is part of the group running the arts space Batroun Projects in north Lebanon. Abu Hamdan is a part of the research team Forensic Architecture at Goldsmiths College where he is also a Phd candidate and lecturer.