PROJECT: Texas Soundings-- Let Your Voice Be Heard

Artist: Colette Copeland

Concept: An experimental community, collaborative sound project, amplifying historically silenced voices including female, non-binary and queer individuals. With the current political climate in Texas, the overturning of Roe vs Wade and the loss of female reproductive rights and LGBTQIA+ rights, there is an urgency for voices to be heard now. For Soundings, participants were invited to choose a phrase or series of phrases that held deep personal meaning—words they wished to sound into the universe. Those who spoke multiple languages expressed themselves in all of them. Their voices were then woven together into a layered sonic composition, forming a chant-like symphony—part mantra, part reclamation— symbolizing collective power and resilience. For listeners, the project is a call for Listening as a form for radical change and transformation. Inspired by Pauline Oliveros’ deep listening meditations, Soundings asks listeners to consider how deep listening might transform their lives and their communities. When the work is exhibited in a gallery or community space, visitors are given a handout with tools for deep listening. Soundings has been exhibited at the Sawyer Silos as part of Houston Sculpture Month (2023), ICOSA Gallery in Austin (2023), Under Construction Gallery in San Antonio (2024), Delta Triennial at Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (2024) and Oak Cliff Cultural Center in Dallas (2024). The companion project Soundings:India has been exhibited at Arthshila Art Center in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India (2024) and at University of Texas at Dallas (2025). https://colettecopeland.com/portfolio/soundings-texas/