I C A N ' T H E A R Y O U
/ ongoing collaborative project with Maxim Vlasov - sustainability researcher and sound artist /
This artistic research explores the boundary between the social and the ecological by examining domination of human in the soundscape. This aim is pursued with the help of visual and sound documentation of touristic natural sites in Iceland – country where the conflict between nature and tourism has intensified over the recent decade. The outcome of this process would be video installations that visually depict elements of the natural landscape accompanied with soundscape that is evidently dominated by anthropophony – human-induced sounds. By provoking a feeling of dissonance, these installations are to invite the audience to reflect upon the intricacies and consequences of such domination, and upon the ideas of humbleness and being able to hear nature.
This artistic research explores the boundary between the social and the ecological by examining domination of human in the soundscape. This aim is pursued with the help of visual and sound documentation of touristic natural sites in Iceland – country where the conflict between nature and tourism has intensified over the recent decade. The outcome of this process would be video installations that visually depict elements of the natural landscape accompanied with soundscape that is evidently dominated by anthropophony – human-induced sounds. By provoking a feeling of dissonance, these installations are to invite the audience to reflect upon the intricacies and consequences of such domination, and upon the ideas of humbleness and being able to hear nature.
Reykjadalur hot spring valley, video/sound installation, loop
/starts with loud repetitive sound of hammer coming from construction of a wooden platform for visitors…some distant chatter of workers and tourists…in-between hammering some birds singing…hammering continues/
/starts with loud repetitive sound of hammer coming from construction of a wooden platform for visitors…some distant chatter of workers and tourists…in-between hammering some birds singing…hammering continues/
The idea for this collaborative project emerged during an artistic visit to Iceland in the summer of 2017. While trying to collect visual and audio material on the unique natural landscapes, we faced a challenge to record clean natural sounds because of the human noise at the sites. The experience led to several questions that would be addressed in this artistic research: Where do we draw the boundary between humans and nature in a soundscape? What are possible consequences of human domination in a soundscape? How can we invite the viewer to reflect upon “humbleness” and “hearing nature”?
Human increasing domination on Earth is described by scientists as the epoch of Anthropocene (1). When it comes to sound, soundscape ecology, which is a branch of ecology concerned with acoustic environment, explores the relation between the diverse sources of sound found in places. Three primary types of sounds are identified. The first two are biophony and geophony, which include sounds produced by living non-human creatures and by the physical environmental including wind, water, weather and geophysical forces respectively (2). The last type, antropophony, includes all sounds produced by humans such as industrial sounds, but also sound from talk, movement, music and many others. According to Bernie Krause, a leading soundscape ecologist, antropophony has profound impacts on well-being of both human and non-human species; and several studies demonstrate that human-induced noise can result in dramatic decrease of biodiversity in certain areas.
Iceland provides an extreme setting where human domination in the landscape and the soundscape is apparent. Iceland is known for its “raw” nature and actively forming, dramatic landscapes. Over the recent decade, Iceland has also become one of the hottest tourist destinations, attracting close to 2 million visitors in 2016 (3). While the tourist boom has benefited the country’s economy, it has also had negative consequences on the fragile ecosystems that are not adapted to such extensive human presence.
This project is based on video and sound documentation of natural sites in Iceland that attract substantial numbers of tourists. This includes Gulfoss waterfall, Reykjadalaur hot spring valley, Skaftafell national park and other sites. The outcome of this process would be video installations that visually depict elements of the natural landscape accompanied with soundscape that is evidently dominated by anthropophony – human-induced sounds.
/text: Maxim Vlasov/
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1 Steffen, W. et al., 2015. The trajectory of the Anthropocene: the great acceleration, The Anthropocene Review, 2(1), pp.81-98.
2 Krause, B., 2008. Anatomy of the soundscape: evolving perspectives, Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 56, pp. 73-80.
3 Icelandic Toursit Board, 2017. Tourism in Iceland in Figures, https://www.ferdamalastofa.is/en/recearch-and-statistics/tourism-in-iceland-in-figures [Accessed on 2017-11-11]
Human increasing domination on Earth is described by scientists as the epoch of Anthropocene (1). When it comes to sound, soundscape ecology, which is a branch of ecology concerned with acoustic environment, explores the relation between the diverse sources of sound found in places. Three primary types of sounds are identified. The first two are biophony and geophony, which include sounds produced by living non-human creatures and by the physical environmental including wind, water, weather and geophysical forces respectively (2). The last type, antropophony, includes all sounds produced by humans such as industrial sounds, but also sound from talk, movement, music and many others. According to Bernie Krause, a leading soundscape ecologist, antropophony has profound impacts on well-being of both human and non-human species; and several studies demonstrate that human-induced noise can result in dramatic decrease of biodiversity in certain areas.
Iceland provides an extreme setting where human domination in the landscape and the soundscape is apparent. Iceland is known for its “raw” nature and actively forming, dramatic landscapes. Over the recent decade, Iceland has also become one of the hottest tourist destinations, attracting close to 2 million visitors in 2016 (3). While the tourist boom has benefited the country’s economy, it has also had negative consequences on the fragile ecosystems that are not adapted to such extensive human presence.
This project is based on video and sound documentation of natural sites in Iceland that attract substantial numbers of tourists. This includes Gulfoss waterfall, Reykjadalaur hot spring valley, Skaftafell national park and other sites. The outcome of this process would be video installations that visually depict elements of the natural landscape accompanied with soundscape that is evidently dominated by anthropophony – human-induced sounds.
/text: Maxim Vlasov/
____
1 Steffen, W. et al., 2015. The trajectory of the Anthropocene: the great acceleration, The Anthropocene Review, 2(1), pp.81-98.
2 Krause, B., 2008. Anatomy of the soundscape: evolving perspectives, Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 56, pp. 73-80.
3 Icelandic Toursit Board, 2017. Tourism in Iceland in Figures, https://www.ferdamalastofa.is/en/recearch-and-statistics/tourism-in-iceland-in-figures [Accessed on 2017-11-11]