The Listening Desk by Emily Peasgood Studio, in collaboration with Studio Ben Allen

Historic listening devices and instruments inspire it. The evolution of an archive reading desk into a listening device emphasises the importance and value of exploring history through sound and what sound can tell us about the world.

A parametric laser beam horn grows from the desk towards the listener's head, with minimal sound bleed into the surrounding area. A bespoke soundscape sequencer is on a screen embedded into the desktop.

The Listening Desk was created in collaboration with Studio Ben Allen. They worked with Happylander to develop bespoke software for listening to oral history archives and/or creating soundscapes with field recordings.

The Listening Desk was commissioned by The British Library for Unlocking Our Sound Heritage, in partnership with Archives+, Manchester; Bristol Culture; Cumbria Archives, The Keep, Brighton; London Metropolitan Archives; National Library of Scotland; The National Library of Wales; National Museums Northern Ireland ; Norfolk Records Office; Tyne & Wear Archives & Museum; and University of Leicester.

Ten listening desks were produced and installed at each partner location from March 2023 until March 2025. Six of the desks have been permanently acquired. They will be permanently displayed at:

1. The British Library
2. Manchester Archives+
3. National Library of Scotland at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow
4. Ulster Transport Museum for National Museums Northern Ireland
5. Norfolk Records Office
6. University of Leicester