Listening to the Earth:
Sonifying planetary health ecologies
Virtual and physical exhibition as part of Spark 2024, the British Council festival of ideas.
Listening to the Earth: Sonifying Planetary Health Ecologies moves beyond anthropocentric notions of Health and Wellbeing, emphasising the interconnectedness of human health and environmental ecosystems.
In the wake of the climate crisis, Postcolonial historian Dipesh Chakrabarty has called for a new understanding of history that no longer separates human activities from natural processes. This call was echoed in recent global health crises and environmental events, highlighting the intrinsic link between human well-being and planetary health.
This project delves into this interconnectedness through harnessing the transformative power of sound. The exhibition aims to listen to environmental changes — translating ecological measurements and sensory data into sound artworks that amplify, alert and call for action. It embraces the notion of ‘sonification’ – the deployment of state-of-the-art sensing, recording, mapping, and sounding methodologies to capture data from the natural environment that would have otherwise remained imperceptible and convert it into sound. These audible rhythms, vibrations, fluctuations and transformations can help explore the connection between our (collective) bodies and the planetary ecosystems.
Contributors were invited to join a collaborative process that unfolded over a series of hybrid working group meetings in London, Hong Kong and elsewhere. This online exhibition is the culmination of the project. It consists of sound artworks that explore notions of listening, the sonification of environmental processes at different scales, and innovative sensing methods, recording instruments and techniques.
Exhibition page:
https://www.britishcouncil.hk/en/programmes/spark-2024/events/listening-to-the-earth
Curated by Ryo Ikeshiro (School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong) and Tom Tlalim (School of Performance, Wimbledon College of Arts, University of the Arts London).
Participating artists:
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Andras Blazsek
Peter Cusack
Gui Ren
Ryo Ikeshiro
Andio Lai
Liao Yuming
Lin Yuxin
Philip Liu
Edwin Lo - Loud Numbers (Duncan Geere, Miriam Quick)
Lyu Qiaosheng
Dawn Scarfe
Åsa Stjerna
Sun Mengtian
Lou Terry
Tom Tlalim
Cheng Yang
Xie Zhihao
Virtual exhibition by MetaObjects.
Dawn Scarfe
Bivvy Broadcast: Waltham Forest Time-lapse 2019
What does it sound like outside at night while I'm sleeping? This sound file is an archive of a nine hour live audio broadcast running from a woodland in East London between 23:00 and 07:00 in July 2019.
https://www.dawnscarfe.co.uk/project_broadcast
For the time-lapse, samples of one minute from each hour have been crudely cut together to listen for changes in the texture of ambient sound over an extended period. Patterns of activity can be harder to appreciate in an uninterrupted or in-person listening. Holes in the transmission can highlight contrasts: things happening close to and far from the microphone; the quietest of rustles against the startling clattering of an early morning train.
Dawn's work involves tuning into things. She uses devices such as listening glasses to explore fragile connections between people, places and sound.
GUI Ren, Cheng Yang
Waves of Urban Farm
The recordings are around the first urban farm in Hong Kong, which is close to the sea. The vision of this farm is to build sustainability and care communities by promoting physical and mental well-being, and providing an open space for leisure and relaxation.
Ren extracted ultrasonic sounds from her soundscape recording using a basicUcho microphone, transforming the inaudible into sounds that can be heard by the human ear. The presented segment includes the sound of a bicycle bell as well as the unheard ultrasonic frequencies, depicting a scene where residents live in harmony with their environment and edible plants within the community. It also illustrates a vision for the recycling of natural resources.
Cheng captured the subtle vibration of the small windmills through the geophone. The decorative windmills in this farm possess both aesthetic and educational value, they enhance the visitor experience and serve an educational purpose that aligns with the sustainability of wind energy and a connection to nature.
Lou Terry
Sonic Tree (Fungal Record) 2021
This 10 minute sonic excerpt is taken from a larger work Sonic Tree (Fungal Record).
Links to full work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgRDfhRFLSw
http://doc.gold.ac.uk/compartsblog/index.php/work/sonic-tree/
Data from electrical exchanges between fungi and oak, as well as photosynthetic light levels, control sound recordings taken from the 900 year old Honeywood Oak in Essex. The Honeywood Oak is the last of 400 ancient oaks on Mark’s Hall Estate. Being such an ancient tree, it is incredibly biodiverse, its inner rotwood and protective outer layer of bark having formed an almost unchanging ecosystem for centuries. It is therefore a noisy tree, and if we listen to the soundscape long enough, we hear bark beetles, ants, wood mice, ultrasonic bat calls, birds, arachnids, larvae, crickets and muntjac deer that reside in and around it, as well as the oak’s internal movements of water and sap. The soundscape changes to reflect the time of day (A full 24 hours are represented in this 10 minute excerpt, an hour = roughly 25 seconds).
Sonic Tree is rooted in a wider area of research into environmental and ecological sensing, looking specifically at how the ways in which we choose to sense environments govern our approaches to challenges they present, as well as how we see ourselves in relation to them. Here, sound binds us to the tree as a living world. As the tree and its inhabitants vocalise and reterritorialise themselves through sound, we engage with them not as external entities to be counted or measured, but as something internally felt, as lived non-human experiences, that we were perhaps always already a part of, co-produced alongside.
Lyu Qiaosheng
Echoes of Touch 2024
Echoes of Touch presents an intimate auditory exploration of the seemingly silent landscapes surrounding us. The artist uses a contact microphone embedded in a wearable nail to record the subtle interactions between touch and the surfaces of both natural and artificial environments. By capturing these subtle acoustic responses, Echoes of Touch invites viewers to reconsider the auditory potential of the planet and individuals and the intimate sensory connections they create through simple gestures of touch.
SUN Mengtian
I Will Follow Your Electro-murmur (Record in Chi Lin Nunnery, HongKong) 2024
Hong Kong attracts me with its unique way of functioning. Sometimes I can sense the speed and noise as if they are some concrete substance, other times I feel the city is like a resplendent, dynamic and gigantic organism that mixes the machines, plants, earth, and other living things.
I like the feeling of walking here, it makes you feel sick and healthy at the same time.
It was my first time in Chi Lin Nunnery when I recorded the piece, it stunned me with its hybrid of many oppositions. I brought the wide-band receiver with me to detect if there were more unexpected sounds around the silence belonging to temples, and it turned out there were! for there were many Buddha Machines and electronic candles. I recorded both the environmental and electromagnetic sounds while I was walking in the Nunnery and its garden, so it can be easily noticed how the sound of electromagnetic varies with the landscape. The piece is later edited into three parts, one in the Nan Lian Garden, one inside the Nunnery where different Buddaha statues are, and the other one close to Lotus Pond.
*if you are alert to the unusual frequencies of the sound, be cautious to listen to the piece. Otherwise, I will suggest tuning the sound a bit louder.
Andio Lai
Fall of the Spring Flowers : composition no.0 2024
It is recorded that Tsing Yi island's original name is “Fall of the Spring Flowers”(Chun Fa Lok). Some say that it was a name for a village, or a particular spot on the island. Today it is well developed into a transportation hub for the city, with highways and important infrastructure. What captured my attention is the theme of balanced development between man and nature.
My parents told me that I nearly lived in Tsing Yi, as did my grandmother and relatives living nearby. I just remember the days of taking a bus to visit them as a kid. There was not many stories about the background of the island I heard of from my friends and family. But most of my memories are linked to the park and landscapes of the island.
The source materials for this composition no.0 is based on the two days intensive field recording. One focused on the Northern shorelines of the island, along the park and the residential area. While another is the process of locating the spot of Chun Fa Lok, a hiking exploration on the mountain. In this track, I wish to balance the gathered sonic materials, creating a collage related to the sky, land, ocean, with elements of nature and human activities. As I was recording and playing on the top of the mountain,I saw the moon and the sun together. This is the Earth.
For more please visit:
https://www.andiolai.com/works/springflowers
András Blazsek
Raindrops and Sound Particles 2024
It is hard for human listeners to differentiate between recorded and resynthesized sounds. This work, therefore, is proposed as a listening activity to engage with the synthetic listening practice of a machine which is an extreme mode of data sonification called resynthesis. In this instance, the machine deconstructs a field recording from Hong Kong—a highly dense sound of Lamma Island that includes a noisy mix of insects, birds, and lower frequency drones—and reconstructs its content using 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, and 512 oscillators. The final soundscape fades between the original digital recording and its counterpart which is in the constant process of deconstruction and reconstruction.
Åsa Stjerna
SKY BROUGHT DOWN 2017
Sky Brought Down is an artistic sonification that bridges the exterior and interior of Sahlgrenska University Hospital, revealing an invisible architectural context and relationship. This sound installation connects the outside environment with the hospital's interior, allowing visitors to experience nature’s forces through sound.
Developed for a new indoor atrium and main staircase at the Center for Imaging and Intervention at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, the work utilizes a glass ceiling that provides direct visual contact with the sky. This visual connection is transformed into sound, filling the building with a sonified experience of the sky.
The installation’s conceptual foundation is based on the sky above the hospital. A weather station mounted on the hospital's roof transmits real-time weather data to the sound installation. This data is transformed into various sound textures, with low-pressure systems, high-pressure systems, precipitation, wind speed, wind pressure, and light each generating distinct sonic expressions in real time, guided by a complex set of algorithms.
A total of 16 speakers are installed behind the wooden paneling that runs vertically from floor to ceiling in the atrium, creating a layered and immersive listening experience.
CREDITS
Commissioner: Konstenheten, Västra Götalandsregionen (the Arts Division of Region Västra Götaland).
Curator: Brita Bahlenberg.
Software development and sound design: Andre Bartetzki.
Technical concept and realization: Manfred Fox.
Film documentation: Nadim Elazzeh
Edwin Lo
FIELD (Sea Wall in Aberdeen, Hong Kong) 2024
Upon revisiting the location, unexpected findings emerged. The so-called "vandalism" and messages on the harbour light reveal the alarming state of the new generation. These inscriptions reflect their doubt and scepticism about life, expressions of affection, and musings on whether they could start their lives anew. For them, happiness seems unattainable, highlighting a significant social issue rather than a mere "teenage problem." This place has become a temporary refuge for those grappling with mental and emotional challenges.
The intention behind this recording extends beyond capturing sound. It aims to shed light on this critical social issue by immersing listeners in the soundscape of a place that serves as a sanctuary for troubled minds. By engaging in active listening, we hope to foster empathy and a deeper understanding of the importance of mental well-being.
LIN Yuxin, LIAO Yuming , XIE Zihao
Oceanscope 2024
The work captures the underwater sounds surrounding the islands of Sai Kung in Hong Kong, using a hydrophone to record and amplify these hidden symphonies. Oceanscope delves into the contrasting narratives of wild and human-altered coastal environments. Unexpectedly, the wild areas appear to be more polluted, with trash constantly crashing noisily against the shores, while the human-altered zones emit serene, soothing sounds. These surprising findings highlight the ironic reality of human presence in nature, as revealed through the recordings.
Loud Numbers (Duncan Geere and Miriam Quick)
Hold the Line 2024
Canada is no stranger to wildfires. Since the last Ice Age more than eleven thousand years ago, at least half of the country’s huge landmass has been covered in forest, with small, naturally-occurring fires as a vital part of that ecosystem.
But the wildfire season of 2023 was different. Climate change, along with decades of short-sighted forest management policy, resulted in the largest fire season in North American history. Over the course of a few short months, a full five percent of the country’s forests were reduced to ash, while smoke caused air pollution emergencies across the whole continent.
Hold the Line is a piece of sound art generated by data from Canada’s 2023 wildfire season. Every single fire that was reported by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fires Centre between 1 April and 30 November is represented by a click sound, with each real-world day playing out over 2.5 seconds of sound. A bass note drops at the start of each new day.
Fires started by humans are represented by the distinctive ‘ting’ sound of a Zippo lighter, fires that started naturally by the sound of wood crackling (which sounds like a high click), and fires of unknown cause by a generic ignition sound (which sounds like a low-pitched lighter flicking on). During the worst of the season, you’ll hear more than 220 fires in a single day.
The background rumble represents the area of forest that burned that day. The larger the area burned that day, the louder, harsher and longer-lasting the sound. When many large fires burn for days, the rumbles blend into a roar. You’ll also hear a growing stack of musical notes that represent the cumulative area that has been burnt. As more forest is burned over time, more notes are added to the stack.
Finally, you’ll hear the voice of Fern Yip. Fern runs the Earthkin Wilderness School in the forests of British Columbia, and narrates the passing of each month — describing her experiences of fire during that season.
This episode was a collaboration between Loud Numbers and the Data is Plural podcast. In the fourth episode of the second season of Data is Plural, you can hear Bruce Macnab, head of Canada’s Wildland Fire Information System, describes how his team gathers information, the obstacles they face, how they deal with uncertainty and varying source quality, and how their approach has changed in the decade since the project launched.
Peter Cusack
Solar farm hum, cooling fans turning off and on, crows, rooks 2024
Solar fams are becoming an increasing feature of rural soundscapes. They are not silent. They hum, cooling fans whirr turning 'off' and 'on', and circuit breakers occasionally clack to control currant flows. The sounds are not loud but constantly present when nearby. These recordings are all from an audio stream that ran for 36 hours from a hawthorn hedge (strategically planted to hide the panels from the footpath) close to the perimeter fence. It is next to one of the farm's hubs, which is the source of the humming/whirring sounds and so over exaggerates its loudness. 10 meters away it is much quieter. Wildlife is still to be seen, although late July is not a particualrly active time of year. Rabbits hop amongst the solar panels as do occasional hares. Crows and rooks fly around and small birds pass by. Buzzards and gulls can sometimes be heard overhead.
Chediston Hall is a very large farm. It is run on an industrial scale - huge open fields, few hedges, extensive chemical use. Pigs are still reared intensively in sheds in contrast to the many free-range pig farms in the area. It was early to add renewable energy production to its activities. This solar farm went on-stream in 2013.
This track is from late afternoon on a beautiful warm and sunny day. A cooling fan turns off, then on. Rooks call; a wood pigeon sings. The occasional dull bangs are bird scarers in distant fields.
Closer recordings of the bird scarers can be heard at https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=64960&m=satellite & https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=64959&m=satellite
Peter Cusack
Pure rotating air 2021
Sounds of a wind generator - one in a farm of around 25 towers - in the flat Brandenburg countryside north of Berlin. A surprising amount of wildlife seems to be able to co-exist with the humming physical presence of these huge towers, especially a good variety of small birds whose habitat is open fields and patchy woodland, such as sky and wood larks. There are many deer. An audio stream was set up for 3 days, with mics hidden in a low bush near a hunting hide at the edge of the trees, to listen to this combination of green tech and nature. It is an 'anthropophone' (term courtesy Udo Noll) - to hear places where problematic interactions between the human and the natural are audible. Given the ever increasing demands for clean energy this rotating humming mix is likely to be the dominant sonic future in rural areas.
The generators follow the rise and fall of wind speeds and the changes of direction. Sometimes they are becalmed. The mechanism emits unpredictable sharp metallic twangs every now and again that reverberate through the towers and out into the surrounding landscape. Winds gives these machines a seemingly organic character of their own and a quirky musicality.
Ryo Ikeshiro
Hong Kong x Construction in Self 2021
Field recordings/live stream from Hong Kong near locations significant to climate change, with a generative data sonification electronic music work on atmospheric convection.
Hong Kong is reliant on fossil fuels and imports for its energy needs. However, its one wind turbine, Lamma Winds, has become a minor tourist attraction due to its location on the picturesque island of Lamma which has no cars but also a coal and natural gas power station. Despite its image as a densely populated city with a skyline dominated by skyscrapers and cramped living conditions, it also boasts beautiful nearby countryside which includes beaches and mountains inhabited by wildlife. There are also older modes of public transport such as trams and ferries.
The work intersperses short excerpts of field recordings/live streams from Hong Kong with a generative electronic music work, Construction in Self. This is based on a data sonification of the Lorenz dynamical system, a model for atmospheric convection. It takes an input prior to performance as initial conditions from which a different piece is produced each time. The GPS coordinates of Lamma is used to create a geo-location specific version for the exhibition.
Philip Liu
Thunder Concurrency (fixed-media ver.) 2023
Thunder Concurrency is a sound installation which was exhibited in late 2023 at Seoul Station 284, Korea. The installation comprises nine Thunder sheets, an instrument often used in theater, each equipped with an actuator and a resonance speaker, which are activated in real-time corresponding to lightning strikes in monitored regions across Asia, Europe, America, and Oceania. The recorded version presented here captures the sonic patterns generated by lightning strikes during a three-minute interval (18:43-18:46 UTC+9) on December 12, 2023. The resonance speaker's vibrational patterns are derived from light spectrum data when available (as provided by numerous North American observatories) or simulated using a randomized algorithm in the absence of such data. Therefore, the listeners would face the rhythm of the thunders from all around the globe, but it is sonified lightning strikes, or imaginary thunders.
Does this technologically mediated representation of global electrical phenomena have the potential to provide insights into planetary-scale ecological processes? More specifically, does the rhythmic and textural composition of these sonified lightning strikes, transmitted through digital technologies and physical vibrations, offer a perceptual window into the current status of planetary health?
Tom Tlalim
Tonotopia | A catalogue of leaves 2018
Tonotopia | A catalogue of leaves is based on a filmed interview with cochlear implant user, Sarah Smith. The interview was recorded as part of Tlalim’s residency at the V&A in London. It explores Sarah’s relationship with her auditory implant and how she re-learns to listen by taking long journeys through the natural environment around her home in Hampshire, recording and collecting different artefacts.
The peace is a mix between an interview and sound performance using found objects - a catalogue of different leaves collected by Smith. The interview explores the role or music and sound, and how listening and walking in the natural surrounding has changed since being implanted with the device.
The film was first commissioned for two shows at the Victoria and Albert museum; Tonotopia: Listening Through Cochlear Implants and The Future Starts Here, exploring subjectivity, privacy, consent and agency in the wake of the rise in sensory augmentation biomedical technologies.
Link to full video: https://vimeo.com/265873748