The What Does He Need? audio piece tells the story of a fictional boy from the day of his birth to early adulthood. Throughout his young life, the boy is confronted by a series of situations, weaving between themes of empathy, power, the suppression of vulnerability, violence, mental health, pornography and suicide. The audio piece is intended to explore societal expectations placed on boys and men, and how learned behaviours are perpetuated, particularly by the influence of other men.

While this 30 minute audio can be listened to anywhere, the artists invite the public to listen to the piece while walking or seated outdoors in their own local area, connecting the narrative of the audio with the listeners’ own lived experiences and observations.

Written by Fiona Whelan and Brokentalkers
Sound Design by Denis Clohessy
Performed by Feidlim Cannon
Copyright Fiona Whelan and Brokentalkers, 2021

This audio piece is presented along side the What Does He Need? public poster project.

#WhatDoesHeNeed

Support:

The What Does He Need? audio piece emerges from a phase of work supported by the Arts Council, Dublin City Council, The LAB Gallery, Project Arts Centre and Rialto Youth Project. The development stage of this work was supported via a Brokentalkers residency through Create/Collaborative Arts Partnership Programme (CAPP) and ‘the lives we live’ Grangegorman Public Art and an invited residency for Fiona Whelan at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.