Sound mosaics for a broken world: Recent Episodes
Adrian Newton
Our world is breaking. Ecosystems are collapsing, our house is burning. But we can fix it like a mosaic, sticking it back together piece by piece. Here's a soundtrack for the recovery process, incorporating sound art, experimental music, audio essays and field recording.
An introduction to the wildlife and sounds of Ferndown Common, an urban nature reserve located in Dorset, southern England. This sound mosaic was created by naturalist Lynn Davy, from her audio diary that explored the heathland habitat through the changing seasons.
Today, Wassily Kandinsky is recognised as one of the key pioneers of abstract art. He also envisioned a close correspondence between his visual art and both sound and music. This has been widely attributed to his synesthesia, whereby he sensed sound as colour and vice versa. Here the soundworld of Kandinsky is explored using different approaches to sonify his paintings, together with extracts from his seminal art book Klänge (Sounds).
Radio Art Zone was a festival of radio art, which broadcast for 100 days
as part of the European Capital of Culture in Esch, Luxembourg, in 2022. As part of this event, 100 22-hour radio artworks were commissioned from artists from around the world, which were then broadcast by a network of radio stations. This sound mosaic features short extracts from some of those pieces that had a broadly environmental focus. Artists featured here include: Anna Friz, Christina Ertl-Shirley, Edyta Jarząb, LokaalRaadio, Lucinda Guy, Marcus Maeder, Zach Poff, Sasha Spacal, Rural development, Ralf Schreiber, Gunter Reznicek, and Gabi Schaffner. Further information about these artists and the complete pieces are available at https://radioart.zone/
All over the world, people are making music out of junk and refuse that other people have thrown away. It's a wonderful, creative response to the global waste problem. And this is what it sounds like.
In the future, artificial intelligence will be the conductor of the symphony, composing and generating sound art beyond human capabilities. It will push the boundaries of what's possible, creating new forms of sound and storytelling that will leave us in awe. But beware, as this AI-generated art will blur the lines between human and machine, making us question the very essence of creativity and art itself.
A sonic exploration of Godlingston Heath nature reserve, and the rich diversity of wildlife that lives there. Situated in Dorset on the south coast of England, Godlingston Heath is also home to the Agglestone, a unique landmark that was considered holy by the Anglo-Saxons who named it. But is it also a unique soundmark? And what does it mean to people today?
Celebrating the musical legacy of legendary guitarist Robert Fripp, especially the experimental technique for loop-based music that he developed, called 'Frippertronics'. This programme also explores the soundscape of Fripp's home town of Wimborne, Dorset, which he once referred to as 'the Centre of the Universe'. In addition it features an interview with two former colleagues of Fripp, Cathy Stevens and Udo Dzierzanowski (https://europastringchoir.bandcamp.com/).
Focusing on the work of sound artist David Rogers, particularly his recent activities documenting the dawn chorus of birdsong. The programme features an excerpt from a recent collaborative performance with Stephanie Rogers, entitled 'Dark dawn, bright future', which marked the 60th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson's landmark book 'Silent Spring'. It also includes an excerpt from another performance, 'Sounds in the garden', featuring a collaboration with Marcus Leadley. Further information on David's work can be found on these links: https://divacontemporary.bandcamp.com/music and http://www.electricbackroom.org.uk/index.html
Profiling the work of environmental sound artist Harry Ovington, and his Sonic Rewild project. You can find out more about Harry's work on his homepage, https://sonicrewild.co.uk/.
A sound mosaic exploring solastalgia, which is a form of emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change. It has also been described as "the homesickness you have when you are still at home", reflecting a sense of loss about the changes that are occurring in the places where we live. But what about its converse, solaphilia? This refers to a love of place. Might this offer some hope for the future?
In ecosystems, decomposition is a vital ecological process, which enables the recycling of organic materials to support new growth and recovery. But what might it mean in the digital domain?
A mosaic of sounds recorded on 100 beaches from around the world. All of these beaches are threatened by sea level rise associated with global heating. It has been forecast that by 2100, half of the world's sandy beaches could have disappeared.
According to Pauline Oliveros, 'deep listening' offers a way to connect with the acoustic environment, by going beneath the surface of what is heard, and by exploring the relationships between sounds, both natural and technological. This podcast documents an attempt to develop a deep listening practice, by conducting some of the exercises presented in Oliveros's book 'Deep listening: a composers sound practice'.
Many musical instruments, such as guitars, clarinets and violins, are made from tree species that are threatened with extinction. Rather than contributing to the biodiversity crisis, might there be ways in which music could help solve this problem? With contributions from composer and clarinettist Karen Wimhurst (https://www.karenwimhurst.co.uk/) and forester / musician Robin Walter (https://www.livingwithtrees.co.uk/).
An interview with musician, author and podcaster Jack Chuter, exploring how sound art and experimental music can help save the world. Or at least, how they can enrich people's lives. The discussion mostly focuses on Jack's own podcast, Crucial Listening, which explores important records chosen by leading sound makers. You can find out more about Crucial Listening, and the equally wonderful Attn:Magazine that Jack curates, on this link: https://www.attnmagazine.co.uk/category/cruciallistening
And some of Jack's own music, which we also discuss, is available here: https://chuter.bandcamp.com/
Rewilding is about letting nature recover from the impacts of people. Here we explore the ideas and practice of rewilding through a discussion with Sam Rose, who is a nature conservation consultant and rewilding specialist. Sam is currently documenting different rewilding projects through photography and a podcast; you can find out more about his work here: https://www.whatifyoujustleaveit.info/. But what does rewilding sound like?
Exploring the work of the composer Alvin Lucier, and its relevance to environmental sound art.
Profiling the work of environmental sound artist, Jo Kennedy. You can find out more about Jo's activities on her website, https://www.jokennedysound.com/. Listen out for her podcast 'Nature tripping', exploring the sounds of nature in the UK.
A mosaic of sounds from the COP26 climate change conference, held in Glasgow in 2021, superimposed over the sound of melting glaciers.
A sonic immersion in the River Allen, UK, one of the world's few chalk rivers. With thanks to members of Wimborne Community Theatre, for spoken contributions.
Some reasons why Terry Riley's 'In C' is one of the most wonderful pieces of music ever written.
An exploration of the hidden sounds of the coastal dunescape at Studland Nature Reserve, UK.
Soundscapes from different forests around the world. If you listen carefully, can you hear these sounds reveal the impacts of environmental change? With thanks to all contributors to Tree.fm.
An exploration of the wonders of freely improvised music. With thanks to all the contributors of the Safehouse collective.
Perhaps as never before, we are now aware of how we are all connected to each other, through the air that we breathe.
We live in a society of hyper-consumerism. This is what it sounds like. And what it might sound like in the future, if we were able to transform it somehow.
Listen to the sound of artificial life-forms, forming virtual communities. Can you tell them apart from real-world ecosystems?
The mysterious sounds of underwater life, here recorded in a chalk river in southern England.
During the pandemic of 2020, a wave of silence passed around the world, as people stopped travelling in cars and planes, and factories lay quiet. As a result, many people became much more aware of the sounds of nature. Here the wave of silence is traced through recordings of the dawn chorus, made each day throughout the early summer.
The Dorset Cursus is one of the largest Neolithic monuments in Europe, stretching 10 km over chalk uplands, and connecting together the springs of several rivers. It appears to have been the site of funerary rituals and processions, deep in prehistory. Here a journey along the Cursus is evoked, travelling across the landscape then down into the underworld.
The frequency and intensity of storms is increasing because of climate change. Why do they sound so threatening? And how might we transform them into something more benign?
Ocean plastic has become a huge environmental issue. But what will our oceans sound like, when there is more plastic in our oceans than fish? This podcast provides a journey through an ocean soundscape of the future, with all sounds created from plastic objects found on a beach.
The interior sound world of ash trees, Fraxinus excelsior. These recordings were made to celebrate ash, which is disappearing from our landscapes because of ash dieback disease.
A soundscape of ancient woodlands, recorded throughout the year. Accompanied by the sound of a ticking clock, created by breaking the twigs of trees killed by climate change.