Exploration-Collection-Assemblage

Proposal for a Mediation of Place through Sound Creation

Abstract

Since the 1970s, ecological thinking has inspired artists and researchers to explore the sonic dimension of experience and our interactions with the environment. In electro-acoustic music and sound art, acoustic ecology has been a precursor to contemporary issues, focusing on the sonic aspect of our relationship to the world. However, some artist-researchers have expanded this field by moving beyond the preservation of natural soundscapes, coining the term ‘ecology of sound’ and criticizing the notion of soundscape by emphasizing its limitation in relation to the lived experience of landscape. Their work examines the interaction between sound, environment, society, and the individual, highlighting sound’s connection with other senses and its social meaning. In this context, this article presents a sound creation and music composition methodology – exploration-collection-assemblage – focused on site specific practices, using the Sound + Place workshops as a case study.