Acoustic Fossils

Michelle Isong 2110629

https://migratingstructures.tumblr.com/

How can the storytelling power of soundscapes communicate the realities of the earth’s limited resources and the gravity of current environmental and industrial practices?

Overview

Following a century and a half of deforestation and industrialisation, the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has reached record levels not seen in three million years due to more than a century and a half of (United Nations, 2021)

Over the next one hundred years, as populations, economies, and the cumulative effects of global warming and climate change grow at unprecedented rates, experts predict that the sonic signatures of our future environments will be vastly different (Krause, 2018)

Sound is a powerful cultural and environmental signifier, and effective indicator of environmental degradation By encouraging deeper consideration of our environments, the narrative power of soundscapes can equally be employed powerfully to help develop and drive more sustainable practices.

Storytelling; an indigenous solution

Salt 7179 (2017) by Christine M Lorenz

Research

Saxe (2012) positions that “young people construct new forms of knowledge (or of practice) in relation to ‘particular’ functions or “emergent goals” in the process of social activities”, suggesting that sensory orders are not static; they evolve over time, just as cultures and the natural world do. Past expressions of a society, manifested in rituals and practices, represent earlier orders and leave ‘residue’ in evolving soundscapes.

The spatio-temporal and socio-cultural qualities of soundscapes bridge the entities of the material world with culture, experience and systems of knowledge that are ever evolving, and in constant dialogue with one another.

This speculative project aims to hold a mirror to the environmental and human impact of current global systems of material extraction, production and consumption, to engender empathy for the natural world, and to encourage changes in attitudes and behaviours towards natural resources.

Methodologies

I. Research the impact of current environmental and industrial practices on soundscapes and the predicted trajectory of the evolution of soundscapes in academic texts

II. Conduct practice-led research of the materiality of sound, and the curation and translation of soundscapes into resonant narratives and narrative modes

III. Devise appropriate material and formwork for illustrating the narrative of the earth’s evolving soundscapes

Offering (2005) by Jen Mills

Sound residue by Author

Canterbury, 1900s (Digimap)

BIOPHONY

Composition of sounds created by organisms

Birds, insects

GEOPHONY

Nonbiological ambient sounds of wind, rain, and other sublime natural elements

Wind, rustle of tree branches, thud of falling pine cone, thunder, patter of rain

ANTHROPHONY

Human-made sounds

Talking, laughing, eating, music: phone, music: speakers, footsteps on grass, footsteps on dry pine needles, footsteps on stone

*Directly influenced by natural environment

Elements of soundscape on campus site

BIOPHONY

Composition of sounds created by organisms

GEOPHONY

Nonbiological ambient sounds of wind, rain, and other sublime natural elements

ANTHROPHONY

Human-made sounds

7:30AM Campus soundscape

BIOPHONY

Composition of sounds created by organisms

GEOPHONY

Nonbiological ambient sounds of wind, rain, and other sublime natural elements

ANTHROPHONY

Human-made sounds

Speculative elements of soundscape on site 1900s

“Reduced plant density will change the balance between absorptive surfaces, such as leaves, and reflective surfaces such as rocks and buildings. This will increase reverberation and make sound environments more harsh” (Paine, 2018)

“Native species could struggle to hear mating calls Predators could have difficulty detecting prey” (Paine, 2018).

“Climate change will significantly alter how sound travels underwater, potentially affecting natural soundscapes as well as accentuating human-generated noise” (American Geophysical Union, 2022)

BIOPHONY

Composition of sounds created by organisms

GEOPHONY

Nonbiological ambient sounds of wind, rain, and other sublime natural elements

ANTHROPHONY

Human-made sounds

Speculative elements of soundscape on site year 2100

Material testing

Uncovering material knowledge

Cymatics, ancient Greek: κῦμα, meaning "wave", is a subset of modal vibrational phenomena and the study of visible sound and vibration (Hans, 2001). Practice-led research produced sitespecific data of the site soundscape, the installation form and materials.

By exciting different material mixtures with soundscape audio through cymatics, the intangible storytelling properties of both were revealed as ‘residue’ of the procedure, the articulation of a narrative, was created – an ecological memory

You Only Have What You Remember (2009) by Jen Mills

Material and cymatics investigations

Recorded campus quad soundscapes

Rudimentary cymatics setup

Saline at various concentrations varyingly produced different sizes of crystals A clear relationship between the sound and patterns in the crystals formed was not able to be determined

Saline with green dye and aluminium tint. Green dye partially split to create spots of yellow dye Investigation of behaviour of dye was carried out in follow up experiment

Saline with purple ink Ink flowed outwards but clear pattern of the ink or final crystals was not determinable

Saturated saline with green ink, purple actylic ink, and aluminum aluminium ink Slightly clearer pattern demarcation between blue, purple and dark purple Water-based and water-resistant acrylic ink proved useful in showing wave pattern in crystal ‘residue’

Some observations:

Saline

Smaller crystals formed on outside waves. Less defined crystals on inside waves. Consistent saline result

Green dye, in saturated saline solution created larger, less uniform crystals. Dye split to reveal yellow which moved outwards in wave pattern.

Green dye consistently revealed wave pattern upon drying.

Yellow concentration outside initial centre point

Rings moving outwards

Apparatus assembly and test

Drawings

Acoustic Fossils is an interactive cymatics installation that speculatively visualises the soundscape of the site a hundred years in the future.

Elevation 1:25

Bibliography

Augoyard, J. F. and Torgue, H. (2009). ‘Sonic Experience (selected excerpts)’ In: Immersed. Sound and Architecture, OASE 78 pp. 126–132

At: https://www oasejournal nl/en/Issues/78/SonicE xpeirenceSelectedExcerpts

Balbontin, S. and Klenner, M. (2020) ‘Resonant Spaces, The Sound created by Space and the Space created by Sound’ In: 4th International Congress on Ambiances, Alloaesthesia: Senses, Inventions, Worlds, Réseau International Ambiances Proceedings E-conference, France pp. 204-209. At: https://hal.archivesouvertes.fr/AMBIANCES2020/hal-03220295

Blesser, B and Salter, L R (2009) ‘Aural Architecture: The Invisible Experience of Space’

In: Immersed Sound and Architecture, OASE 78 pp. 50–56. At: https://www.oasejournal.nl/en/Issues/78/AuralAr chitectureTheInvisibleExperienceOfSpace

Ganchrow, R. (2009). ‘Hear and There: Notes on the Materiality of Sound’ In: Immersed. Sound and Architecture, OASE 78 pp. 70–75. At: https://oasejournal.nl/en/Issues/78/HearAndThe reNotesOnTheMaterialityOfSound

Haque, U. (2007) ‘Distinguishing Concepts: Lexicons of Interactive Art and Architecture’ In: 4dsocial: Design Environments 77 (4) pp 24-31.

Krause, B (1987) ‘Bioacoustics: Habitat Ambience & Ecological Balance’ In: Whole Earth Review 57 pp 14-18

Out of memory (s.d.) At: https://www.tighearchitecture.com/out-ofmemory (Accessed 20/08/2022)

Saxe, G B (2014) Learning in doing: Social, cognitive and computational perspectives: Cultural development of mathematical ideas: Papua New Guinea studies Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Schafer, R. M. (1977) The soundscape: Our sonic environment and the tuning of the world. New York, NY: Random House.

Truax, B (1999) The Handbook for Acoustic Ecology. Burnaby: Cambridge Street Publishing.

United Nations (2022) Climate Change | United Nations At: https://www.un.org/en/globalissues/climate-change (Accessed 10/08/2022).

Journey of Curiosity (2022) What is Cymatics? The Art and Science of Visible Sound Explained At: https://journeyofcuriosity.net/pages/what-iscymatics-how-to-explained (Accessed 4/08/2022).