Caroline Udell

Link To Vimeo

Caroline Udell
standby
2016
circuit boards, acrylics, enamel, plywood, video
8 3/4" x 11 1/4" x 1 7/8"

"The lights are off but someone's home."

Listening is hard to demonstrate. Professional advice provides guidelines for "active listening" According to one site: “Interest can be conveyed to the speaker by using both verbal and non-verbal messages such as maintaining eye contact, nodding your head and smiling, agreeing by saying ‘Yes’ or simply ‘Mmm hmm’ to encourage them to continue." There's a comfortable circuitousness in the way my friends vent that's different from how I talk about things. I've been told that I don't give enough listening cues. But whenever I've tried to make a conscious effort to engage in this manner, I can't actually pay attention to what's being said. I think there's a difference in showing interest and showing care, and I think there are ways we can and do show care without interjecting.