Lawrence Abu Hamdan's Artist Book 'inaudible' Explores the Politics of Listening and Speech

Lawrence Abu Hamdan's first artist book, '[inaudible] A Politics of Listening in 4 Acts', was published in 2016 alongside his exhibition 'Earshot' at Portikus in Frankfurt/Main. The book presents his research on the politics of speech through scripted acts, functioning as a play that engages readers with scenarios written by Abu Hamdan and his collaborators. Since 2010, Abu Hamdan has investigated how voices can be weaponized, using lie detection software, the Miranda warning, and the Language Analysis for the Determination of Origin program as focal points. His work examines legal spaces as acoustic environments where speech acts hold significant political weight. The book's format cleverly mirrors his sound-based practice, allowing readers to almost hear voices through monologues, conversations, and fictional court sessions. It follows his 2015 exhibition 'Taqiyya – The Right to Duplicity' at Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen. Abu Hamdan works across media including photography, graphic works, audiovisual illustration, and performance. The publication was featured in the Winter 2016 issue of ArtReview Asia.