Art + environmental agency - an approach to environmental sound composition

Abstract

As we foster more informed cultures toward our environmental responsibilities, the types of approaches to ecoacoustic sound composition being developed are crucial in providing foundations for musical discourse where we not only hear sounds from natural ecosystems, but ‘they provide a compelling, comprehensive, unique, and intimate experience around the signification of sounds from highly specific regions.’ Whilst somewhat understated in its orientation (i.e as a purely abstracted piece of art music), this type of approach does indeed have the capacity to serve as a potent form of activism in and of itself.’ Augmenting non-traditionally researched concepts as ‘compositional models’ based on environmental acoustic phenomena, Dr Daniel Blinkhorn has developed a compositional language that observes and mimics naturally occurring spectral energies, physical motions and their respective potentialities unfolding across time and physical space. Through the use of manifold sound manipulation environments, he strives to sculpt a language extant within perception, alteration and diffusion of extra musical materials, environmental sound, and the inextricable, organic bonding’s of places and spaces.

This lecture is virtual only. To watch online please register here.