Listening to War is an immersive digital experience co-created by Isaac Joseph, Belinda Cherrington, Shuya Wang, and Siqi Xie. Based on diary excerpts from Atef Abu Saif’s The Drone Eats With Me: Diaries from a City Under Fire, the project transports audiences into the sonic landscape of Gaza during the 2014 conflict. Through spatial audio and interactive storytelling, it captures the relentless sounds of drones, bombings, and the ambient tension of a family confined to their home under siege. The work aims to humanize the experience of war by focusing on the auditory environment and the emotional toll it takes on civilians, especially parents striving to protect their children amidst chaos. By emphasizing sound over visuals, Listening to War challenges the desensitization often associated with traditional media coverage of conflict. Open City Documentary Festival

Debuted at the Open City Documentary Festival’s Expanded Realities Exhibition, Listening to War exemplifies the power of immersive media to convey complex emotional narratives. The project stands as a testament to the potential of interdisciplinary collaboration in creating impactful storytelling that fosters empathy and a deeper understanding of the human cost of war.Open City Documentary Festival